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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. staff — a stick
  3. ground — the earth
  4. face — to confront
  5. lie — to recline
  6. march — the month
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. ground — a position
  9. staff — employees
  10. ground — crushed
  11. face — part of the head
  12. march — music
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. staff — employees
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. march — the month
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. face — to point toward

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