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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: rule · last · straw · firm · swing · face · stick · wave

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. swing — in golf
  6. firm — decided
  7. rule — a law
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. face — to point toward
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. firm — steady
  15. rule — government
  16. last — finally
  17. face — to confront
  18. swing — to play on
  19. firm — a company
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. swing — music
  24. face — part of the head

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