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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. track — a song
  3. face — part of the head
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. season — in sport
  8. saw — the tool
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. date — the fruit
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. face — to confront
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. race — a contest
  20. saw — the tool
  21. face — to point toward
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. track — a path
  24. track — to keep track

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