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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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. sharp — exactly
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. scale — in music
  6. clip — for paper
  7. last — final
  8. clip — to cut
  9. sharp — clever
  10. scale — size or range
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bat — the animal
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. last — to go on
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. face — part of the head
  20. last — finally
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. clip — a video
  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