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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 124 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. cell — in biology
  3. ground — crushed
  4. tear — from crying
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. face — to confront
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. ground — the earth
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. cell — a phone
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. ground — a position
  20. kick — in football
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. tear — to rip
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. squash — to crush

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