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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: stick · rock · face · season · cold · firm · straw · racket

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rock — a stone
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rock — music
  6. cold — not warm
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. firm — steady
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. face — to confront
  14. cold — an illness
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. season — of the year
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. firm — decided
  21. face — part of the head
  22. firm — a company
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. racket — for tennis

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