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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cap · race · fan · straw · spell · mug · mine · face

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mug — to rob
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. spell — magic
  5. cap — a lid
  6. face — to point toward
  7. race — the arms race
  8. spell — a short time
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. spell — letters
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cap — a hat
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. face — part of the head
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. cap — of ice
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mug — a cup
  20. face — to confront
  21. race — a contest
  22. mug — a face
  23. race — humankind
  24. fan — a supporter

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