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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pass — a permit
  3. fork — in a road
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. face — part of the head
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. face — to confront
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. stand — to bear
  24. straw — a straw man

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