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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: drill · march · straw · lean · mate · board · face · rest

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rest — a break
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. drill — the tool
  5. board — to get on
  6. drill — a practice
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. drill — army training
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mate — a friend
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. lean — thin
  19. board — a committee
  20. face — to confront
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rest — what's left

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