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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bound — certain
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. face — to point toward
  8. shower — to wash
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. bear — the animal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. land — a country
  14. bear — the animal
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. land — to come down
  18. bound — tied together
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bat — the animal
  22. face — to confront
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bear — to put up with

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