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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. can — a tin
  3. face — to confront
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. prune — to trim
  7. race — the arms race
  8. can — a tin
  9. sharp — clever
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. can — to be able to
  13. race — a contest
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. root — of a word
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. face — to point toward
  19. root — of a plant
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. prune — to trim
  22. race — humankind
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. root — the cause

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