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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. club — for golf
  3. cap — of ice
  4. sharp — clever
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cap — a hat
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. club — a group
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cap — a lid
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. club — for dancing
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rush — hurry

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