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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 116 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. band — a music group
  6. face — part of the head
  7. last — to go on
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. band — a ring
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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