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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. spell — a short time
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. foot — a measure
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spell — letters
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. spell — magic
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. lie — to recline
  24. ruler — for measuring

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