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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. staff — a stick
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. face — to confront
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wind — moving air
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. face — to point toward
  9. staff — employees
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. suit — clothes
  12. wind — moving air
  13. face — part of the head
  14. suit — to fit
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. staff — employees
  19. suit — in cards
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. row — a line
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. row — to paddle

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