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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. pound — a weight
  3. fine — all right
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. fine — high quality
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. kid — child
  20. band — a ring
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. face — to confront
  23. band — a music group
  24. kid — to tease

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