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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. scale — size or range
  3. saw — the tool
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. band — a ring
  6. saw — the tool
  7. scale — in music
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. board — a committee
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. face — part of the head
  14. mine — for digging
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. band — a music group
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — to get on
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. shower — to wash
  21. face — to point toward
  22. shower — rain
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. band — a rubber band

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