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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 116 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bound — certain
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bound — tied together
  8. chair — a leader
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. face — to point toward
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bound — obliged
  19. face — part of the head
  20. staff — employees
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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