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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. firm — decided
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. craft — a skill
  5. firm — steady
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cold — not warm
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. face — part of the head
  13. craft — boats
  14. firm — a company
  15. cold — an illness
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. face — to point toward
  20. squash — the sport
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. squash — to crush
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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