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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. craft — a skill
  3. pass — a permit
  4. squash — to crush
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. snap — to click
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. fork — in a road
  11. face — part of the head
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rock — a stone
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. game — a match
  17. craft — boats
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. face — to point toward
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — to move gently

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