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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. wind — moving air
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. face — to point toward
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. face — part of the head
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wind — moving air

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