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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. key — in music
  6. rule — government
  7. race — humankind
  8. cell — a phone
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. race — a contest
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cell — in biology
  15. race — the arms race
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rule — a law
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. key — the most important part
  22. face — part of the head
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. hide — animal skin

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