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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. wound — an injury
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wound — an injury
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. can — to be able to
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. field — farmland
  15. face — to confront
  16. field — a subject
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. can — a tin
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. field — for sport
  23. can — a tin
  24. straw — a straw man

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