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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. face — to confront
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. rest — what's left
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. spell — letters
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rest — what's left
  9. march — the month
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. march — the month
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. face — part of the head
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rest — a break
  24. march — music

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