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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. face — to point toward
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. root — the cause
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. root — of a plant
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — to get on
  13. mate — to breed
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mate — a friend
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bat — the animal
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. board — a committee
  22. root — of a word
  23. face — part of the head
  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