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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. lean — thin
  5. face — part of the head
  6. last — final
  7. cue — a hint
  8. last — to go on
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bulb — for light
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. cue — for pool
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cue — a signal
  20. last — finally
  21. bulb — for light
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bulb — of a plant

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