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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 120 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. object — a thing
  3. face — to point toward
  4. present — a gift
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cold — an illness
  7. present — there
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bank — for money
  10. key — in music
  11. bank — for money
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mug — to rob
  15. cold — not warm
  16. mug — a cup
  17. object — to protest
  18. present — the time now
  19. bore — to tire
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bank — of a river
  23. object — an aim
  24. mug — a face

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