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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pop — music
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. pop — soda
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rush — hurry
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. pop — to visit
  18. perch — the fish
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. saw — the tool
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wind — moving air

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