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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. track — to keep track
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. face — part of the head
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. shower — rain
  7. pop — soda
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. cue — a signal
  10. face — to point toward
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. prune — to trim
  13. track — a song
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. tear — to rip
  16. track — a path
  17. cue — a hint
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cue — for pool
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pop — to visit
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pop — music
  24. shower — to wash

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