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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 116 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. season — in sport
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. mate — a friend
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. face — to point toward
  11. current — happening now
  12. clip — a video
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. current — of water
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. clip — for paper
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. season — of the year
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. face — part of the head
  22. current — electric
  23. bear — the animal
  24. season — to add flavour

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