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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. face — to confront
  5. wind — moving air
  6. staff — a stick
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. face — part of the head
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. staff — employees
  13. present — the time now
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. staff — employees
  16. face — to point toward
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. present — there
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. sharp — clever
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. present — a gift
  24. rock — music

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