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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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. face — to confront
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. present — the time now
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mine — for digging
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bat — the animal
  17. present — there
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. present — a gift
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wound — an injury

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