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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. club — for golf
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. stem — to come from
  9. club — for dancing
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. race — humankind
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. toast — bread
  17. race — the arms race
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. club — a group
  20. face — to point toward
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. race — a contest
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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