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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pop — music
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. hand — help
  5. ground — a position
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pop — soda
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. ground — the earth
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. track — to keep track
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pop — to visit
  24. ground — crushed

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