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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rule — a law
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. face — to confront
  11. drill — army training
  12. race — humankind
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. race — the arms race
  16. fall — the season
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. race — a contest
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — government
  24. lash — to lash out

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