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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rule — government
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cold — an illness
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mine — for digging
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. rule — a law
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. face — to point toward
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. mate — a friend
  23. stand — to bear
  24. face — part of the head

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