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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rest — what's left
  4. face — to confront
  5. spring — the season
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. mine — for digging
  8. spring — of water
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. spring — a coil
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. stock — goods
  18. mine — belonging to me

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