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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. face — to point toward
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wake — a trail
  5. scale — size or range
  6. date — the fruit
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. current — electric
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. face — to confront
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cold — not warm
  15. scale — in music
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. face — part of the head
  18. current — happening now
  19. firm — a company
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cold — an illness
  23. firm — decided
  24. current — of water

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