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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. court — of a king
  7. face — to point toward
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. kick — in football
  11. bore — to drill
  12. court — for sport
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stem — to come from
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bore — to tire
  23. court — of law
  24. squash — to crush

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