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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. kick — in football
  2. face — to point toward
  3. rock — music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. land — ground
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. rock — a stone
  10. vault — a safe
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. land — a country
  16. scale — in music
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. face — part of the head
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. face — to confront
  22. scale — size or range
  23. land — to come down
  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