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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 120 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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. chest — of your body
  19. face — part of the head
  20. game — a match
  21. chest — of your body
  22. drill — a practice
  23. cap — a hat
  24. pass — to succeed

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