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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. cell — in biology
  3. scale — size or range
  4. cell — a phone
  5. scale — in music
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. race — a contest
  17. swing — in golf
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. swing — music
  22. hand — help
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — humankind

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