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

Word bank: press · wind · straw · stick · rash · face · chip · pit

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  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. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — a hole
  6. rash — a series
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — to eat
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. press — newspapers
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. press — to push
  18. press — a publisher
  19. wind — moving air
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wind — moving air
  22. face — part of the head
  23. chip — in a computer
  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