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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. last — finally
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. last — final
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. snap — to click
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. face — to confront
  14. lie — to recline
  15. face — part of the head
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. key — in music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. face — to point toward
  20. last — to go on
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. key — for a lock
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

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