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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. lean — thin
  3. face — to confront
  4. bound — certain
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. fall — to drop
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. capital — a city
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. face — part of the head
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. squash — to crush
  20. fall — the season
  21. capital — money
  22. fall — to drop
  23. lean — to bend
  24. straw — a straw man

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