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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. swing — to play on
  3. current — of water
  4. deal — to handle
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. clip — for paper
  7. face — to point toward
  8. clip — to cut
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. swing — in golf
  11. sharp — clever
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. face — part of the head
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — electric
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. clip — a video
  23. lie — to recline
  24. swing — music

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