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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — to confront
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. mate — to breed
  5. face — part of the head
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. band — a ring
  8. lean — to bend
  9. band — a music group
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mate — a friend
  12. lean — thin
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stand — to bear
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. cap — a lid
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cabinet — ministers

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