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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. roll — a list
  3. key — in music
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. tear — to rip
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lie — to recline
  13. key — the most important part
  14. roll — a cake
  15. pit — a hole
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pit — in a race
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. key — for a lock
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. roll — on a roll

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