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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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Word bank
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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ball — a dance
  4. face — to confront
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. track — a song
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. track — a path
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. face — to point toward
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. face — part of the head
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. track — to keep track
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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