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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. swing — music
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. swing — to play on
  9. last — final
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. swing — in golf
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. chest — of your body
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stand — to bear
  16. key — the most important part
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. lie — to recline
  22. chest — a box
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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