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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: ground · face · lie · fan · last · rash · straw · present

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. ground — a position
  3. lie — to recline
  4. face — to confront
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. last — final
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. ground — the earth
  12. last — finally
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rash — hasty
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — a gift
  18. face — part of the head
  19. last — to go on
  20. face — to point toward
  21. present — there
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fan — to cool the air

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