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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. face — to confront
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bound — tied together
  8. mug — a face
  9. rash — a series
  10. cap — of ice
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rash — hasty
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wake — a trail
  17. mug — to rob
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cap — a hat
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cap — a lid
  22. mug — a cup
  23. bound — certain
  24. tear — from crying

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