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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. drill — the tool
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. drill — a practice
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. face — part of the head
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. track — a song
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. kid — to tease
  17. track — a path
  18. drill — army training
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. face — to point toward
  22. kid — child
  23. track — to keep track
  24. snap — to click

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