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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 116 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. spell — a short time
  3. hand — help
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. track — a song
  9. face — to point toward
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. spell — letters
  13. track — a path
  14. scale — in music
  15. track — to keep track
  16. scale — size or range
  17. pit — in a race
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pit — a hole
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. spell — magic
  23. kick — in football
  24. hand — in cards

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