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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. suit — clothes
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tube — a container
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. face — to point toward
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. suit — in cards
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — a trail
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. tube — the underground
  24. suit — to fit

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