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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. face — part of the head
  5. last — finally
  6. court — for sport
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. spring — the season
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. last — final
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. court — of law
  14. face — to confront
  15. last — to go on
  16. spring — a coil
  17. court — of a king
  18. rush — hurry

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