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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mate — a partner
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. face — to confront
  8. spring — the season
  9. snap — to click
  10. face — to point toward
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — to breed
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. season — in sport
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. spring — a coil

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