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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. face — to point toward
  6. rash — hasty
  7. track — to keep track
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rash — a series
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. track — a song
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rush — hurry
  17. track — a path
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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