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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. last — finally
  12. bark — to shout
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. last — final
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. staff — employees
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. last — to go on
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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