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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. dip — to sink
  3. shower — to wash
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. cap — a hat
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. cap — a lid
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. face — to point toward
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. lean — thin
  13. face — part of the head
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. lean — to bend
  18. cap — of ice
  19. shower — rain
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. face — to confront
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

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