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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rush — hurry
  3. drill — the tool
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cue — a signal
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. present — the time now
  9. face — to point toward
  10. present — there
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. drill — army training
  13. row — a line
  14. cue — for pool
  15. present — a gift
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cue — a hint
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. fine — all right
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. wake — a trail
  23. fine — high quality
  24. row — to paddle

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