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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.

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: court · straw · lie · kick · saw · face · ground · lean

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. face — to confront
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. saw — the tool
  6. ground — crushed
  7. saw — the tool
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. court — of a king
  12. face — part of the head
  13. court — for sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. kick — in football
  16. lean — to bend
  17. court — of law
  18. lie — to recline
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. face — to point toward
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. ground — the earth
  23. lean — thin
  24. ground — a position

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