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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. can — to be able to
  4. snap — to click
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. foot — a measure
  10. face — to confront
  11. can — a tin
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. face — to point toward
  18. can — a tin
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. mouse — the animal

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