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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. date — the fruit
  4. face — to point toward
  5. lie — to recline
  6. shower — rain
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. spring — a coil
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to confront
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. spring — the season
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. shower — to wash
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. toast — bread
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. spring — of water
  24. wound — an injury

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