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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hand — in cards
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rest — a break
  14. fall — the season
  15. hand — help
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fall — to drop
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. face — to confront
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. face — to point toward
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. plane — an aircraft

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