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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — boats
  5. squash — to crush
  6. face — to confront
  7. lie — to recline
  8. pop — soda
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pop — music
  11. scale — in music
  12. craft — a skill
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. scale — size or range
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. face — to point toward
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. foot — a measure
  19. face — part of the head
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. squash — the sport

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