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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 124 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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. chest — a box
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. key — for a lock
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bound — tied together
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. face — to point toward
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. key — the most important part
  14. pit — in a race
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — a hole
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. key — in music
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fan — to cool the air

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