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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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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: sharp · kid · kick · bore · spring · straw · foot · face

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. face — to confront
  3. foot — a measure
  4. spring — of water
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. kid — to tease
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bore — to tire
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bore — to drill
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. spring — a coil
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — in football
  21. spring — the season
  22. face — to point toward
  23. sharp — clever
  24. kid — child

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