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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. spring — of water
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. spell — magic
  7. face — part of the head
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spring — the season
  15. charge — a price
  16. face — to point toward
  17. charge — in control
  18. spell — letters
  19. face — to confront
  20. spring — a coil
  21. roll — a list
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. charge — electricity
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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