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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 no middle ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. ball — a dance
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bear — the animal
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. current — of water
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. current — electric
  17. bear — the animal
  18. ball — a great time
  19. current — happening now
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. ground — the earth
  22. sharp — clever
  23. face — to confront
  24. leaves — of a tree

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