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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. rush — hurry
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cue — a signal
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cue — for pool
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. face — to point toward
  11. spring — the season
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cap — a lid
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. spring — a coil
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cap — a hat
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. net — for catching
  24. face — to confront

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