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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 124 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. march — the month
  3. spring — of water
  4. shower — to wash
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. spring — the season
  8. wake — a trail
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. face — to point toward
  11. charge — a price
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. shower — rain
  18. charge — in control
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. charge — electricity
  22. dip — to sink
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to confront

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