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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. ground — a position
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. ground — the earth
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. ground — crushed
  7. season — in sport
  8. track — a song
  9. face — part of the head
  10. scale — size or range
  11. kid — to tease
  12. track — a path
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bear — the animal
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mate — a partner
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bear — the animal
  22. scale — in music
  23. mate — to breed
  24. season — of the year

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