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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 120 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. cold — an illness
  5. face — to point toward
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. face — to confront
  8. fine — high quality
  9. foot — a measure
  10. capital — money
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. cold — not warm
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. capital — a city
  21. shower — rain
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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