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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. face — part of the head
  3. key — for a lock
  4. shower — rain
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. face — to point toward
  7. dip — to sink
  8. hand — in cards
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. key — the most important part
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. shower — to wash
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. face — to confront
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. key — in music
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. deal — to handle

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