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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to confront
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. fall — to drop
  6. tear — from crying
  7. drill — army training
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. fall — the season
  10. face — to point toward
  11. fall — to drop
  12. last — finally
  13. tear — from crying
  14. last — final
  15. swing — in golf
  16. tear — to rip
  17. swing — music
  18. last — to go on
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. drill — the tool
  23. swing — to play on
  24. drill — a practice

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