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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.

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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: face · board · straw · can · wake · chair · pit · court

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. face — to confront
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. court — of a king
  6. face — part of the head
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. wake — a trail
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. can — a tin
  11. board — to get on
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pit — a hole
  14. chair — a leader
  15. court — of law
  16. face — to point toward
  17. court — for sport
  18. pit — in a race
  19. board — a committee
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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