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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. firm — decided
  4. face — part of the head
  5. squash — the sport
  6. cold — not warm
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. band — a ring
  11. firm — steady
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. cold — an illness
  17. face — to point toward
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. firm — a company
  22. band — a music group
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. squash — to crush

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