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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lean — to bend
  3. current — electric
  4. court — for sport
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. current — of water
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. race — a contest
  13. current — happening now
  14. face — part of the head
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cell — in biology
  17. toast — bread
  18. cell — a phone
  19. court — of law
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. court — of a king
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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