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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. current — electric
  4. season — in sport
  5. face — part of the head
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bear — the animal
  9. track — a song
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. current — of water
  12. season — of the year
  13. face — to point toward
  14. perch — the fish
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bear — the animal
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. current — happening now
  24. perch — for a bird

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