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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 116 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. cue — a hint
  5. season — in sport
  6. face — to point toward
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. season — of the year
  9. spell — magic
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cue — a signal
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bore — to drill
  18. face — to confront
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bore — to tire
  24. hand — part of the body

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