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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cold — not warm
  5. face — part of the head
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. deal — to handle
  9. charge — a price
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. kick — in football
  12. charge — in control
  13. chest — a box
  14. saw — the tool
  15. face — to confront
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cold — an illness
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. chest — of your body
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. face — to point toward
  23. charge — electricity
  24. chest — of your body

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