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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. stand — to bear
  3. cell — in biology
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. shower — to wash
  10. cell — a phone
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. row — a line
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. shower — rain
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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