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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rash — hasty
  4. spring — the season
  5. march — the month
  6. rash — a series
  7. march — music
  8. can — a tin
  9. face — part of the head
  10. march — the month
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. face — to confront
  13. chip — to eat
  14. can — a tin
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bass — the fish
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bass — low music
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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