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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: key · lash · file · game · straw · mark · pitcher · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. mark — a trace
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. face — to confront
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. key — in music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. game — a match
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. key — for a lock
  15. file — a tool
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. file — a document
  18. face — part of the head
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. file — a line of people
  23. mark — a grade
  24. straw — dry grass

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