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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: straw · court · safe · current · lie · game · face · cap

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. face — to confront
  3. lie — to recline
  4. current — happening now
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cap — a lid
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. court — of law
  12. current — of water
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. court — of a king
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cap — of ice
  18. game — a match
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. current — electric
  21. face — part of the head
  22. court — for sport
  23. cap — a hat
  24. safe — a strongbox

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