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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. face — to confront
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. cold — not warm
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fall — the season
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fall — to drop
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. rock — a stone
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — in music
  19. face — to point toward
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. scale — size or range
  23. rock — music
  24. fall — to drop

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