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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. object — an aim
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. object — a thing
  6. stem — to come from
  7. suit — to fit
  8. swing — in golf
  9. suit — clothes
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. rash — hasty
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. swing — to play on
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. suit — in cards
  21. object — to protest
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. swing — music
  24. straw — dry grass

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