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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. face — to point toward
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. face — to confront
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. face — part of the head
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mug — a face
  13. court — for sport
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. deal — to handle
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. court — of a king
  19. stand — to bear
  20. court — of law
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mug — a cup
  24. prune — to trim

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