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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. face — part of the head
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wind — moving air
  5. face — to confront
  6. staff — employees
  7. fall — the season
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. hand — help
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. staff — a stick
  16. hand — in cards
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. face — to point toward
  19. pit — in a race
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pit — a hole

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