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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. content — happy
  6. present — the time now
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. present — a gift
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. rule — government
  12. face — to point toward
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. present — there
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. face — part of the head
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rule — a law
  22. face — to confront
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. leaves — lets stay

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