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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. current — of water
  3. tear — from crying
  4. face — part of the head
  5. tear — to rip
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. firm — steady
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. firm — decided
  12. file — a document
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. file — a tool
  16. current — happening now
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rash — a series
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — a leader
  21. current — electric
  22. firm — a company
  23. rash — hasty
  24. file — a line of people

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