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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. kick — in football
  6. tear — from crying
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. squash — the sport
  9. deal — to handle
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. face — to point toward
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. content — happy
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. content — the amount
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — a permit
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. tear — from crying
  21. squash — to crush
  22. face — part of the head
  23. tear — to rip
  24. kick — a thrill

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