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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. face — to confront
  4. firm — steady
  5. face — part of the head
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rest — a break
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. firm — decided
  21. snap — to click
  22. rest — what's left
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cabinet — ministers

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