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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: file · rule · fall · present · face · straw · cue · chest

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. present — the time now
  3. cue — for pool
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. fall — to drop
  6. face — to confront
  7. file — a line of people
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. present — there
  11. face — part of the head
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — a signal
  14. file — a document
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. present — a gift
  18. file — a tool
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — a law
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. chest — a box

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