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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. sharp — clever
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bound — certain
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. club — for dancing
  13. face — part of the head
  14. club — a group
  15. drill — army training
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. club — for golf
  19. bound — tied together
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bowl — a football final

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