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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cap — a hat
  4. prune — to trim
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — electricity
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cold — an illness
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. cold — not warm
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. rash — a series
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. charge — a price
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to point toward

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