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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. spring — the season
  3. race — a contest
  4. row — to paddle
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bound — obliged
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. bound — tied together
  12. race — the arms race
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bound — certain
  16. face — to point toward
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. race — humankind
  21. cap — of ice
  22. row — a line
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cap — a lid

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