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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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Word bank
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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: staff · face · rush · fork · lie · last · straw · content

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. staff — a stick
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. face — to confront
  7. rush — hurry
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. content — happy
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fork — in a road
  14. last — final
  15. face — to point toward
  16. lie — to recline
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. staff — employees
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. content — the amount

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