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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 drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. face — to confront
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bark — to shout
  8. mate — a partner
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. face — part of the head
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. file — a tool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. mate — a friend
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. file — a document

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