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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. face — to point toward
  7. rock — music
  8. pitch — completely
  9. rock — a stone
  10. lean — thin
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. face — to confront
  13. tube — the underground
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a document
  17. tube — a container
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. lean — to bend
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. rock — to move gently

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