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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. face — to point toward
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. face — part of the head
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. face — to confront
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. stem — to come from
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. toast — bread
  15. sharp — clever
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cap — a hat
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. wake — a trail
  24. mouse — the animal

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