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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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — electric
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. kick — in football
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. stand — to bear
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. face — part of the head
  23. current — of water
  24. face — to point toward

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