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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. present — a gift
  6. file — a document
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bound — tied together
  10. face — part of the head
  11. present — there
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. club — for golf
  15. bound — obliged
  16. face — to point toward
  17. pit — in a race
  18. shower — rain
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. shower — to wash
  21. club — a group
  22. bound — certain
  23. club — for dancing
  24. present — the time now

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