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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. season — of the year
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. face — to confront
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. season — in sport
  13. swing — music
  14. spring — the season
  15. wound — an injury
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wound — an injury
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. lie — to recline
  21. rest — what's left
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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