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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. face — to point toward
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. craft — a skill
  6. game — a match
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bear — the animal
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cell — in biology
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rock — music
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rock — a stone
  20. game — wild animals
  21. craft — boats
  22. face — part of the head
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bear — the animal

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