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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. shower — to wash
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. object — to protest
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. shower — rain
  16. cold — an illness
  17. object — a thing
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rush — hurry
  22. drill — army training
  23. object — an aim
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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