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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  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 — dry grass
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. face — to point toward
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. current — happening now
  7. face — to confront
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. current — electric
  16. foot — a measure
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. face — part of the head
  19. current — of water
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. plane — a tool
  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