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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 120 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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. firm — steady
  3. vault — a safe
  4. lean — thin
  5. firm — decided
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cell — a phone
  9. lean — to bend
  10. firm — a company
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mug — a cup
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. saw — the tool
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. cell — in biology
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a face
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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