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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cap — of ice
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to confront
  5. cap — a lid
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rest — what's left
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. spring — of water
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cap — a hat
  13. perch — the fish
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. rest — a break
  16. season — in sport
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. spring — the season
  20. face — to point toward
  21. season — of the year
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rest — what's left
  24. arm — part of the body

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