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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. cue — a hint
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. face — to point toward
  7. rule — government
  8. fall — to drop
  9. root — the cause
  10. wind — moving air
  11. face — part of the head
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. cue — for pool
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fall — the season
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. root — of a word
  23. rule — a law
  24. bay — a horse colour

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