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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rule — government
  4. face — part of the head
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. tube — a container
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. face — to confront
  11. rule — a law
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. squash — the sport
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. face — to point toward
  18. squash — to crush
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. tube — the underground

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