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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 120 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. march — the month
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. root — of a plant
  5. perch — the fish
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. root — the cause
  8. march — music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. march — the month
  14. rest — a break
  15. face — part of the head
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. root — of a word
  18. face — to point toward
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rest — what's left
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rest — what's left
  24. face — to confront

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