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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. track — to keep track
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. suit — clothes
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. chest — of your body
  10. suit — to fit
  11. wake — a trail
  12. last — final
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. face — to confront
  15. last — to go on
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. track — a path
  20. suit — in cards
  21. last — finally
  22. track — a song
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to point toward

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