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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. tear — from crying
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. march — the month
  6. date — the fruit
  7. cap — of ice
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — in cards
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. suit — to fit
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. face — to point toward
  21. march — the month
  22. face — part of the head
  23. cap — a lid
  24. march — 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