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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. mug — to rob
  4. can — a tin
  5. charge — electricity
  6. face — to point toward
  7. can — to be able to
  8. fall — the season
  9. mug — a cup
  10. fall — to drop
  11. swing — in golf
  12. pit — in a race
  13. can — a tin
  14. bound — certain
  15. mug — a face
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pit — a hole
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — a price
  20. bound — tied together
  21. face — part of the head
  22. swing — music
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bound — obliged

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