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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. cue — for pool
  5. net — in sport
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. face — part of the head
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. snap — to click
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. cue — a hint
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. net — for catching
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. net — after costs
  23. face — to point toward
  24. cue — a signal

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