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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. staff — employees
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. chest — of your body
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. ground — crushed
  9. staff — employees
  10. chest — a box
  11. fine — all right
  12. staff — a stick
  13. shower — to wash
  14. spring — a coil
  15. ground — a position
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. spring — of water
  18. face — to confront
  19. fine — high quality
  20. chest — of your body
  21. season — of the year
  22. shower — rain
  23. season — in sport
  24. spring — the season

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