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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. clip — for paper
  5. mark — a grade
  6. clip — to cut
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stand — to bear
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. key — in music
  11. degree — an amount
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mark — a trace
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. face — to point toward
  16. degree — from a university
  17. craft — a skill
  18. clip — a video
  19. key — for a lock
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. degree — temperature
  22. craft — boats
  23. key — the most important part
  24. stand — for spectators

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