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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. face — to point toward
  7. rash — a series
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. board — to get on
  10. kid — to tease
  11. fork — in a road
  12. date — the fruit
  13. kid — child
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. rash — hasty
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. board — a committee

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