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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. present — the time now
  3. face — to confront
  4. pop — soda
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — high quality
  11. mark — a grade
  12. present — there
  13. fall — to drop
  14. present — a gift
  15. fall — the season
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pop — music
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a trace
  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