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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. content — the amount
  6. fine — high quality
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. face — part of the head
  10. saw — the tool
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bore — to drill
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. content — happy
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bore — to tire
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fine — all right
  23. leaves — to go away
  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