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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. firm — steady
  3. face — to confront
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. clip — a video
  7. tube — a container
  8. firm — decided
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. firm — a company
  11. clip — for paper
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. clip — to cut
  14. face — part of the head
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. tube — the underground
  19. roll — a list
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. roll — a cake
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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