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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mug — a cup
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. tear — to rip
  5. cap — a lid
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. face — part of the head
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. court — of law
  11. plane — a tool
  12. mug — a face
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. court — of a king
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stand — to bear
  18. cap — of ice
  19. court — for sport
  20. face — to point toward
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cap — a hat

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