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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mug — a face
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. foot — a measure
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. face — part of the head
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. present — the time now
  15. face — to confront
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. present — a gift
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mine — belonging to me

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