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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pit — in a race
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. face — part of the head
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mine — for digging
  17. craft — a skill
  18. pit — a hole
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. lean — thin
  21. craft — boats
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. roll — a cake
  24. craft — a handicraft

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