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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. face — part of the head
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. prune — to trim
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. spell — letters
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. face — to point toward
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. face — to confront
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. lean — to bend
  20. game — a match
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mouse — the animal

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