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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. swing — in golf
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. row — to paddle
  7. face — to confront
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. face — part of the head
  12. swing — to play on
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. plane — a tool
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. row — a line
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. swing — music
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. plane — an aircraft

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