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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. track — a song
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. face — to point toward
  11. season — in sport
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. season — of the year
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to click
  18. craft — boats
  19. track — to keep track
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. face — to confront
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. mine — for digging
  24. track — a path

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