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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. prune — to trim
  3. net — for catching
  4. last — finally
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. board — a committee
  7. face — part of the head
  8. board — to get on
  9. mine — for digging
  10. net — after costs
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bear — the animal
  16. last — final
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. face — to point toward
  21. last — to go on
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. prune — to trim
  24. net — in sport

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