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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. mine — for digging
  3. face — to confront
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. clip — for paper
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. shower — rain
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. face — to point toward
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rush — hurry
  22. clip — a video
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. nail — for a hammer

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