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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. face — to point toward
  3. scale — size or range
  4. cap — a lid
  5. rush — hurry
  6. spring — of water
  7. cap — a hat
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cap — of ice
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. scale — in music
  12. can — to be able to
  13. face — to confront
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — the time now
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. spring — the season
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. present — there
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. spring — a coil

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