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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. face — to confront
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. ground — crushed
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. date — the fruit
  17. firm — decided
  18. ground — the earth
  19. season — of the year
  20. ground — a position
  21. firm — a company
  22. face — to point toward
  23. dip — to sink
  24. firm — steady

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