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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. face — to confront
  4. spell — letters
  5. row — a line
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. spell — magic
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. spell — a short time
  11. sharp — clever
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. toast — bread
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wax — to grow
  17. face — part of the head
  18. row — to paddle
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. face — to point toward
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. sharp — exactly

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