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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. tear — to rip
  3. court — of a king
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. court — of law
  6. face — part of the head
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. tear — from crying
  9. race — humankind
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. race — a contest
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. wake — a trail
  16. chest — of your body
  17. tear — from crying
  18. race — the arms race
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. face — to confront
  22. court — for sport
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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