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

Word bank: fall · mate · straw · foot · kick · object · mine · face

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. object — an aim
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. mine — for digging
  9. object — a thing
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — part of the head
  15. fall — the season
  16. foot — a measure
  17. kick — in football
  18. object — to protest
  19. fall — to drop
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mate — a friend
  24. kick — a thrill

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