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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. face — to confront
  3. hand — help
  4. dip — to sink
  5. mug — to rob
  6. pop — to visit
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — to get on
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. pop — soda
  12. mug — a cup
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. hand — in cards
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pop — music
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mug — a face

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