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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. face — part of the head
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the sport
  6. staff — a stick
  7. club — for golf
  8. bound — obliged
  9. mate — a partner
  10. club — a group
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bound — certain
  13. face — to point toward
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bound — tied together
  19. club — for dancing
  20. staff — employees
  21. drill — army training
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. staff — employees
  24. squash — the vegetable

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