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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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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. face — to confront
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. band — a music group
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. spell — magic
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. face — part of the head
  10. ball — a great time
  11. rule — a law
  12. ball — a dance
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. spell — a short time
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. rule — government
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spell — letters
  24. band — a ring

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