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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. tear — from crying
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. kick — in football
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. spring — a coil
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. spring — of water
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. tear — to rip
  16. face — to point toward
  17. spring — the season
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. face — part of the head
  23. swing — to play on
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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