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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.

Make a worksheet

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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — a measure
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. land — a country
  8. spell — letters
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. land — ground
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. wind — moving air
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. spell — a short time
  21. land — to come down
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. spell — magic

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