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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. face — part of the head
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. net — after costs
  5. saw — the tool
  6. last — to go on
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — of water
  9. shower — to wash
  10. face — to point toward
  11. spring — the season
  12. net — for catching
  13. last — final
  14. rock — a stone
  15. last — finally
  16. rock — music
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. face — to confront
  19. chair — a leader
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. net — in sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. shower — rain

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