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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pit — a hole
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mug — a face
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mug — to rob
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pit — in a race
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. face — to confront
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mug — a cup
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wound — an injury
  21. kick — in football
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bulb — of a plant

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