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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. spring — a coil
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. object — an aim
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bear — the animal
  9. face — to confront
  10. spring — of water
  11. race — a contest
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — humankind
  17. squash — to crush
  18. spring — the season
  19. bear — the animal
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — a thing
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. leaves — lets stay

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