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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. ground — crushed
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. spell — letters
  6. deal — to handle
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. lie — to recline
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — music
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. face — part of the head
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. saw — the tool
  19. face — to point toward
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — a garden tool

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