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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. firm — decided
  3. fall — the season
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. fall — to drop
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — steady
  22. face — part of the head
  23. fall — to drop
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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