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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — the time now
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. date — the fruit
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stand — to bear
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. saw — the tool
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — to shout
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. face — part of the head
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. present — there
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pit — in a race

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