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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bulb — for light
  3. drill — army training
  4. face — part of the head
  5. saw — the tool
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. face — to point toward
  8. chest — a box
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. can — a tin
  11. mug — to rob
  12. drill — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. face — to confront
  15. bulb — for light
  16. chest — of your body
  17. can — a tin
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. can — to be able to
  20. mug — a face
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. chest — of your body
  23. saw — the tool
  24. drill — a practice

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