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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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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: wind · firm · land · sharp · rash · lie · mate · straw

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — a company
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rash — a series
  6. land — a country
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. land — ground
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. firm — steady
  11. land — to come down
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mate — a friend
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. rash — hasty
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mate — a partner
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wind — moving air
  24. straw — dry grass

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