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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lean — thin
  3. chest — of your body
  4. face — part of the head
  5. shower — to wash
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. season — in sport
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. shower — rain
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — music
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. season — of the year
  16. chest — a box
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. vault — a safe
  20. rush — hurry
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. swing — in golf
  24. lean — to bend

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