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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. track — a song
  3. net — in sport
  4. spring — the season
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. spring — of water
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. net — after costs
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wake — a trail
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. net — for catching
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. track — a path
  21. spring — a coil
  22. face — to point toward
  23. track — to keep track
  24. face — part of the head

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