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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. face — to confront
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. content — the amount
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. march — the month
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. march — the month
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bat — the animal
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. season — of the year
  19. content — happy
  20. season — in sport
  21. march — music
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bat — in an idiom

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