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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. face — part of the head
  5. spring — a coil
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wound — an injury
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spring — of water
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. face — to point toward
  14. spring — the season
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wound — an injury
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. face — to confront
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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