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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. race — a contest
  3. saw — the tool
  4. face — to point toward
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cue — a hint
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. face — part of the head
  11. lie — to recline
  12. saw — the tool
  13. race — the arms race
  14. cue — a signal
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. scale — in music
  17. cue — for pool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. face — to confront
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. scale — size or range
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. race — humankind
  24. lie — an untruth

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