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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bass — low music
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pit — a hole
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rest — a break
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. current — of water
  18. bass — the fish
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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