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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 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. face — to point toward
  5. date — the fruit
  6. pit — a hole
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — a list
  16. pit — in a race
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pit — a fruit stone

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