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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. foot — a measure
  4. face — to confront
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. can — to be able to
  7. court — of law
  8. face — to point toward
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. press — to push
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. court — for sport
  16. face — part of the head
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. court — of a king
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. can — a tin
  24. coach — a trainer

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