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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. mug — to rob
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. face — part of the head
  6. mug — a cup
  7. game — a match
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. press — to push
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. fork — in a road
  20. press — newspapers
  21. face — to confront
  22. press — a publisher
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mug — a face

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