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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rush — hurry
  4. face — part of the head
  5. march — the month
  6. face — to confront
  7. suit — in cards
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. march — the month
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. key — in music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. march — music
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. suit — to fit
  21. key — the most important part
  22. suit — clothes
  23. drill — army training
  24. mine — belonging to me

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