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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. file — a tool
  3. prune — to trim
  4. present — there
  5. track — a song
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. face — part of the head
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. file — a document
  10. ground — crushed
  11. face — to point toward
  12. present — the time now
  13. file — a line of people
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. can — to be able to
  16. track — to keep track
  17. can — a tin
  18. present — a gift
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. ground — a position
  21. track — a path
  22. can — a tin
  23. prune — to trim
  24. face — to confront

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