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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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. row — a quarrel
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. tear — to rip
  14. face — part of the head
  15. last — to go on
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. last — final
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. row — to paddle
  21. face — to point toward
  22. row — a line
  23. last — finally
  24. tear — from crying

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