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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. fall — to drop
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cue — a hint
  5. race — humankind
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. race — a contest
  11. mate — to breed
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cue — a signal
  17. rush — hurry
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cue — for pool
  22. mate — a partner
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. mate — a friend

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