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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. stand — to bear
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pop — music
  5. current — of water
  6. pop — to visit
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. current — happening now
  10. spell — a short time
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. current — electric
  13. spell — letters
  14. band — a ring
  15. pop — soda
  16. drill — army training
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. band — a music group
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. face — part of the head
  22. spell — magic
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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