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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. tear — to rip
  3. cue — a hint
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. face — part of the head
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rush — hurry
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. face — to confront
  14. spring — the season
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cue — a signal
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. spring — a coil
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cue — for pool
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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