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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rush — hurry
  3. fine — high quality
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. fine — all right
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. can — a tin
  9. face — part of the head
  10. can — to be able to
  11. field — for sport
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. can — a tin
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bark — to shout
  21. field — farmland
  22. face — to confront
  23. field — a subject
  24. racket — for tennis

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