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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. face — part of the head
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. rash — hasty
  8. face — to confront
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. row — a line
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. cap — a hat
  19. ground — a position
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. ground — crushed

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