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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. squash — to crush
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bat — the animal
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. stand — to bear
  15. fork — in a road
  16. face — to point toward
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. face — part of the head
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. face — to confront

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