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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: face · race · rock · wound · bay · chest · bowl · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. race — a contest
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. chest — of your body
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wound — an injury
  13. race — humankind
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. chest — a box
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — music
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — to confront

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