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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. face — to point toward
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. swing — to play on
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to confront
  8. rest — a break
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. swing — in golf
  11. present — the time now
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. present — there
  17. rest — what's left
  18. content — the amount
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. content — happy
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. swing — music
  24. rest — what's left

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