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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. hand — help
  3. rule — government
  4. mug — to rob
  5. face — part of the head
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mug — a face
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. drill — army training
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rule — a law
  15. face — to point toward
  16. mug — a cup
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. sharp — clever
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. face — to confront

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