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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. hand — in cards
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. face — part of the head
  5. saw — the tool
  6. march — the month
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. march — music
  11. hand — help
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. march — the month
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bay — a horse colour

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