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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. court — of law
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. drill — army training
  5. face — to confront
  6. key — in music
  7. key — for a lock
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. drill — a practice
  14. shower — rain
  15. key — the most important part
  16. face — part of the head
  17. mug — a cup
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. face — to point toward
  20. court — of a king
  21. mug — a face
  22. drill — the tool
  23. shower — to wash
  24. court — for sport

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