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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 116 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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. face — to point toward
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. rule — a law
  6. mate — a friend
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. ground — a position
  10. mate — a partner
  11. tear — from crying
  12. ground — crushed
  13. track — a song
  14. face — to confront
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rule — government
  17. track — to keep track
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. mate — to breed
  20. face — part of the head
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. track — a path
  24. tear — to rip

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