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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. shower — rain
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. face — to confront
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. last — final
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. face — to point toward
  13. shower — to wash
  14. face — part of the head
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. last — to go on
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. fork — in a road

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