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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. charge — in control
  3. face — to point toward
  4. march — music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. kick — in football
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. hand — in cards
  11. charge — a price
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. march — the month
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. face — part of the head
  16. charge — electricity
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. fork — in a road
  20. hand — help
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. march — the month

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