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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: straw · present · date · face · fan · land · pitcher · toast

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. present — there
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. land — to come down
  9. present — the time now
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. toast — bread
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. face — to confront
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. present — a gift
  22. land — ground
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. land — a country

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