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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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. rest — a break
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bear — the animal
  4. face — part of the head
  5. rush — hurry
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rest — what's left
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. cell — a phone
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. face — to confront
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. cell — in biology
  18. shower — rain
  19. pitch — completely
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bear — the animal
  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