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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. game — a match
  3. deal — to handle
  4. staff — employees
  5. rock — music
  6. pit — a hole
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. rock — a stone
  9. face — to point toward
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. pit — in a race
  14. mark — a trace
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. mark — a grade
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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