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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fork — in a road
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tube — the underground
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. face — to point toward
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. plane — a tool
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. face — part of the head
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. tube — a container
  23. face — to confront
  24. fork — a garden tool

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