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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. swing — music
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. swing — to play on
  14. root — of a word
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. cap — a hat
  18. root — of a plant
  19. face — part of the head
  20. root — the cause
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. cap — a lid
  24. swing — in golf

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