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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pound — a weight
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rule — government
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rule — a law
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to spend time

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