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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. spring — a coil
  3. ball — a great time
  4. spring — the season
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. band — a ring
  8. face — part of the head
  9. ball — a dance
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. band — a music group
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. cell — in biology
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cell — a phone
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. face — to point toward
  21. spring — of water
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. face — to confront
  24. hide — to keep secret

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