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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. ground — the earth
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. craft — boats
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tear — from crying
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — a skill
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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