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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 116 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. rest — a break
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mark — a trace
  5. march — the month
  6. drill — army training
  7. march — the month
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. march — music
  11. rest — what's left
  12. face — part of the head
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. face — to confront
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. drill — a practice
  17. object — an aim
  18. drill — the tool
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. object — a thing
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. object — to protest

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