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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. cell — in biology
  3. object — a thing
  4. face — to confront
  5. pop — to visit
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. lean — to bend
  9. board — to get on
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. lean — thin
  12. spring — a coil
  13. board — a committee
  14. spring — the season
  15. pop — music
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. spring — of water
  18. object — an aim
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. object — to protest
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. face — part of the head

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