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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bat — the animal
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rock — a stone
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. cell — in biology
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. fine — all right
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. rock — music
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. cell — a phone
  18. shower — to wash
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — rain
  22. fine — high quality
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. racket — for tennis

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