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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. roll — a cake
  5. toast — bread
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lean — thin
  9. suit — clothes
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. face — to point toward
  13. suit — to fit
  14. track — to keep track
  15. face — part of the head
  16. track — a path
  17. suit — in cards
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. roll — a list
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. track — a song

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