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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. drill — army training
  5. bear — the animal
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. prune — to trim
  13. face — to point toward
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. drill — the tool
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. saw — the tool
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. face — part of the head

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