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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pop — to visit
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. face — to point toward
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pop — music
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wax — to grow
  15. sharp — clever
  16. face — to confront
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. pass — a permit
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. fall — the season
  23. pop — soda
  24. hide — to keep secret

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