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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. track — a song
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. tear — from crying
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. face — part of the head
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tube — a container
  19. bear — the animal
  20. face — to point toward
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tube — the underground
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a path

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