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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. kid — child
  5. dip — to sink
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. last — final
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. face — to confront
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. rule — a law
  14. kid — to tease
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. last — to go on
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rule — government
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. last — finally

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