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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — a grade
  4. game — a match
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. face — to point toward
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. craft — a skill
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cold — not warm
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. craft — boats
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. cold — an illness
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pound — a weight
  23. perch — the fish
  24. vault — a safe

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