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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. field — for sport
  4. shower — to wash
  5. face — to point toward
  6. field — farmland
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. face — part of the head
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. field — a subject
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. face — to confront
  23. foot — a measure
  24. straw — dry grass

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