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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. march — the month
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. foot — a measure
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. date — the fruit
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pitch — completely
  11. face — to confront
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. roll — a cake
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. face — to point toward
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. face — part of the head
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. pitch — a sports field

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