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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. face — to point toward
  6. spring — the season
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. spring — of water
  13. cap — of ice
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. spring — a coil
  17. charge — in control
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. charge — a price
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. charge — electricity
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. face — part of the head

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