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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — a list
  4. ground — crushed
  5. court — for sport
  6. current — of water
  7. ground — the earth
  8. current — happening now
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. ground — a position
  11. wake — a trail
  12. face — part of the head
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. court — of a king
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. court — of law
  22. current — electric
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. face — to point toward

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