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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. face — to point toward
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. land — ground
  7. rash — hasty
  8. land — to come down
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. lie — to recline
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. face — part of the head
  18. row — a line
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. row — to paddle
  21. land — a country
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. face — to confront
  24. rash — a series

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