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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. field — farmland
  3. face — to point toward
  4. suit — in cards
  5. dip — to sink
  6. field — for sport
  7. face — part of the head
  8. last — final
  9. vault — a safe
  10. last — to go on
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. suit — to fit
  14. rest — what's left
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. suit — clothes
  17. rest — a break
  18. last — finally
  19. lean — thin
  20. rest — what's left
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. field — a subject
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. lean — to bend

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