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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. firm — decided
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. shower — rain
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rule — a law
  11. shower — to wash
  12. face — part of the head
  13. rule — government
  14. rash — a series
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ground — crushed
  17. firm — steady
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. ground — a position
  20. rash — hasty
  21. firm — a company
  22. bat — the animal
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pitcher — a jug

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