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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. march — the month
  3. track — a path
  4. face — to confront
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. firm — decided
  10. rock — music
  11. march — music
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. firm — steady
  14. track — to keep track
  15. face — part of the head
  16. track — a song
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. march — the month
  20. firm — a company
  21. kick — in football
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. toast — bread
  24. rock — a stone

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