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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pit — a hole
  3. present — there
  4. rest — a break
  5. club — a group
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pit — in a race
  8. face — to point toward
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. face — part of the head
  13. present — a gift
  14. shower — to wash
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rest — what's left
  19. club — for golf
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. rest — what's left
  23. shower — rain
  24. present — the time now

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