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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wind — moving air
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — for digging
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pass — a permit
  24. tear — to rip

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