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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · cell · snap · lie · object · toast · racket · face

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. cell — in biology
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cell — a phone
  5. hand — in cards
  6. toast — bread
  7. object — an aim
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. face — to point toward
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. hand — help
  15. object — to protest
  16. lie — to recline
  17. object — a thing
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com