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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · foot · straw · mouse · face · saw · wake · content

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — the amount
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. saw — the tool
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. hand — help
  12. face — to point toward
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. content — happy
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wake — a trail
  24. foot — a measure

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