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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. face — part of the head
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rock — music
  6. face — to point toward
  7. rock — a stone
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. shower — rain
  10. date — the fruit
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wake — a trail
  16. shower — to wash
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. fork — in a road
  19. face — to confront
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. mouse — the animal

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