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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — a cup
  4. race — the arms race
  5. face — part of the head
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. season — in sport
  10. race — humankind
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. race — a contest
  18. mug — to rob
  19. face — to confront
  20. deal — to handle
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. face — to point toward
  24. straw — dry grass

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