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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pass — a permit
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. spring — of water
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. face — part of the head
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — a price
  15. spring — the season
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rush — hurry
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. charge — electricity
  24. fork — in a road

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