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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. face — to confront
  7. ball — a dance
  8. face — part of the head
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. field — farmland
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lean — thin
  13. field — a subject
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. shower — rain
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. ball — a great time
  22. saw — the tool
  23. field — for sport
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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