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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fall — the season
  9. mug — a cup
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. face — part of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cold — an illness
  15. pit — a hole
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. pit — in a race
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. mug — a face
  21. face — to point toward
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mug — to rob
  24. fall — to drop

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