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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. tube — a container
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. face — part of the head
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. hand — help
  13. charge — electricity
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. face — to point toward
  17. prune — to trim
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. charge — a price
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. toast — bread
  22. face — to confront
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. charge — in control

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