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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. tear — from crying
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. wake — a trail
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bear — the animal
  8. present — a gift
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. face — to point toward
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mug — a cup
  19. face — part of the head
  20. tear — from crying
  21. present — there
  22. present — the time now
  23. mug — a face
  24. bear — the animal

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