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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mug — a face
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pitch — completely
  8. fall — the season
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. cold — an illness
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fall — to drop
  18. drill — army training
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a cup
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. face — to confront

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