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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pop — soda
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. can — a tin
  9. track — a song
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. track — a path
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. pop — to visit
  18. rush — hurry
  19. pop — music
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. current — of water

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