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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spring — of water
  4. face — part of the head
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. clip — a video
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. rest — a break
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. spring — the season
  14. mark — a grade
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pass — a permit
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. spring — a coil
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mark — a trace

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