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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. face — part of the head
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. drill — the tool
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — music
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. swing — to play on
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. season — in sport
  15. drill — a practice
  16. season — of the year
  17. face — to point toward
  18. row — a line
  19. deal — to handle
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. drill — army training

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