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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. last — finally
  6. shower — rain
  7. face — part of the head
  8. shower — to wash
  9. last — final
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — thin
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stock — shares
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stock — goods
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. hide — to keep secret

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