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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lean — to bend
  3. cold — an illness
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wound — an injury
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. net — in sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. lean — thin
  17. dip — to sink
  18. face — part of the head
  19. net — for catching
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. net — after costs
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cold — not warm
  24. face — to point toward

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