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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: rest · straw · hide · court · wave · rule · march · face

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rest — what's left
  4. march — the month
  5. face — to confront
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. march — music
  11. rule — government
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. court — of law
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. rest — what's left
  18. court — of a king
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rule — a law
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. rest — a break
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. court — for sport

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