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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. present — the time now
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. game — wild animals
  5. present — there
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chest — a box
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. chest — of your body
  12. face — part of the head
  13. rule — government
  14. chest — of your body
  15. face — to confront
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. face — to point toward
  19. game — a match
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. present — a gift

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