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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bear — the animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mug — to rob
  7. staff — employees
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. mug — a face
  14. face — part of the head
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. mug — a cup
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. face — to point toward
  22. staff — employees
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low music

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