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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rock — music
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. tube — a container
  7. face — part of the head
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rock — a stone
  13. race — humankind
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. plane — a tool
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — a contest
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. tube — the underground
  24. face — to point toward

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