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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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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — a position
  5. tear — from crying
  6. band — a music group
  7. sharp — clever
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. tear — from crying
  12. board — a committee
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pound — a weight
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. band — a ring
  17. face — part of the head
  18. ground — crushed
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. face — to point toward
  21. board — to get on
  22. tear — to rip
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. sharp — exactly

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