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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. track — to keep track
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. face — to confront
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. track — a song
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. straw — a straw man

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