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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rule — a law
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rock — a stone
  7. saw — the tool
  8. vault — a safe
  9. rule — government
  10. cold — an illness
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cold — not warm
  13. chip — to eat
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. chip — for betting
  16. saw — the tool
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. face — part of the head
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. rock — music
  24. rule — to rule out

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