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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. face — to point toward
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spring — of water
  9. spell — magic
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. face — part of the head
  18. spring — a coil
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. spring — the season
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. face — to confront
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. saw — the tool

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