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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.

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: fine · saw · squash · face · bat · racket · rock · straw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rock — music
  6. face — part of the head
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. face — to confront
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fine — all right
  14. rock — a stone
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bat — the animal
  19. face — to point toward
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. squash — the sport

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