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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. face — part of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stand — to bear
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. shower — rain
  7. last — to go on
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. face — to confront
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rush — hurry
  14. face — to point toward
  15. last — finally
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bulb — for light
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. last — final
  23. bulb — for light
  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