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

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. face — to point toward
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bear — the animal
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. face — to confront
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. roll — a list
  16. mark — a trace
  17. saw — the tool
  18. face — part of the head
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. cap — a lid
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cap — of ice
  24. saw — the tool

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