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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.

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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. face — to confront
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lean — thin
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. lean — to bend
  8. face — part of the head
  9. rest — a break
  10. stand — to bear
  11. rest — what's left
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. face — to point toward
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. rest — what's left
  19. game — wild animals
  20. lie — to recline
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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