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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
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: bay · straw · game · trunk · face · row · pitcher · fall

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. game — a match
  4. fall — the season
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. row — a line
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. row — to paddle
  17. fall — to drop
  18. face — part of the head
  19. fall — to drop
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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