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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pit — in a race
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. snap — to click
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. march — music
  12. face — to confront
  13. march — the month
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bank — for money
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. march — the month
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. face — part 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