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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. can — to be able to
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. shower — to wash
  7. can — a tin
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. present — there
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. face — to confront
  14. present — the time now
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. face — part of the head
  17. plane — a tool
  18. roll — a list
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. can — a tin
  21. roll — a cake
  22. face — to point toward
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. shower — rain

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