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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. season — of the year
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spring — the season
  7. face — part of the head
  8. spring — of water
  9. bound — obliged
  10. field — a subject
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. vault — a safe
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. face — to point toward
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. bound — certain
  19. spring — a coil
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bound — tied together
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. hide — animal skin

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