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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 120 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: leaves · face · mug · straw · rule · cold · bay · season

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — to rob
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. season — in sport
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. season — of the year
  21. mug — a face
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. cold — an illness
  24. rule — a law

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