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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · face · tear · bat · firm · fall · rock · season

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. firm — decided
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bat — the animal
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. rock — a stone
  7. present — a gift
  8. season — in sport
  9. tear — to rip
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. season — of the year
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fall — the season
  14. present — there
  15. present — the time now
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. tear — from crying
  18. face — to confront
  19. firm — steady
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rock — music
  23. firm — a company
  24. face — part of the head

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