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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. court — for sport
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spring — the season
  7. wind — moving air
  8. track — a path
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. spring — of water
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — a stone
  13. court — of law
  14. wind — moving air
  15. court — of a king
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. rock — music
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. spell — magic
  23. face — to confront
  24. spell — a short time

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