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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. mine — for digging
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. shower — to wash
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. season — in sport
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. shower — rain
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. face — to confront
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pop — music
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. season — of the year

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