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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. club — a group
  5. face — to point toward
  6. can — a tin
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. club — for dancing
  10. pit — a hole
  11. club — for golf
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pit — in a race
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. face — part of the head
  19. can — a tin
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. can — to be able to
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. spring — a coil

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