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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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. face — to point toward
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cold — an illness
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bank — for money
  7. mug — a face
  8. craft — boats
  9. spring — the season
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. mug — a cup
  12. pit — a hole
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pit — in a race
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bank — of a river
  17. face — part of the head
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bank — for money
  23. face — to confront
  24. spring — of water

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