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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. track — to keep track
  4. face — to point toward
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. vault — a safe
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. face — part of the head
  12. land — to come down
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. track — a path
  15. date — the fruit
  16. land — a country
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. land — ground
  23. track — a song
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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