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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. face — to point toward
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. drill — army training
  7. plane — a tool
  8. face — part of the head
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. face — to confront
  15. wound — an injury
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wound — an injury
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. drill — the tool
  22. kick — in football
  23. drill — a practice
  24. straw — dry grass

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