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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bear — the animal
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. face — part of the head
  6. game — a match
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — a company
  9. rock — music
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bear — the animal
  12. dip — to sink
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rock — a stone
  16. face — to confront
  17. wake — a trail
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. firm — decided

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