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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. firm — a company
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. firm — steady
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — a grade
  13. face — to confront
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tear — from crying
  18. firm — decided
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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