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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. face — part of the head
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. face — to confront
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. sharp — clever
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. cold — an illness
  23. face — to point toward
  24. cold — the Cold War

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