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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. present — the time now
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. tear — to rip
  5. present — there
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. present — a gift
  17. bat — the animal
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. face — part of the head
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. perch — the fish
  24. face — to point toward

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