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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  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. leaves — lets stay
  2. face — to point toward
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. wind — moving air
  5. track — a song
  6. object — an aim
  7. rush — hurry
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. wind — moving air
  11. object — a thing
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. object — to protest
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. track — a path
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — a cup
  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