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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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. tear — from crying
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. tear — to rip
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pound — a weight
  19. mate — to breed
  20. foot — a measure
  21. face — part of the head
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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