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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. face — to confront
  4. ground — the earth
  5. track — a path
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pitch — completely
  9. face — part of the head
  10. scale — in music
  11. spring — of water
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rash — a series
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. ground — a position
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. track — a song
  22. spring — a coil
  23. deal — to handle
  24. face — to point toward

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