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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. tear — from crying
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. tear — to rip
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. ground — a position
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — a permit
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. ground — the earth
  18. content — happy
  19. face — to point toward
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ground — crushed
  23. face — part of the head
  24. ball — a round shape

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