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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. mug — a face
  3. face — part of the head
  4. suit — in cards
  5. tear — to rip
  6. row — to paddle
  7. spell — magic
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. face — to confront
  10. spell — letters
  11. mug — to rob
  12. saw — the tool
  13. suit — to fit
  14. mug — a cup
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. spell — a short time
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. row — a line
  22. saw — the tool
  23. suit — clothes
  24. tear — from crying

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