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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. face — part of the head
  6. mate — a partner
  7. field — a subject
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. row — to paddle
  10. field — farmland
  11. rush — hurry
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. field — for sport
  20. row — a line
  21. mate — to breed
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — government
  24. mate — a friend

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