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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bear — the animal
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. ground — a position
  7. bear — the animal
  8. spring — the season
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. ground — crushed
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. spring — of water
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. spring — a coil
  19. face — to confront
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. lean — thin
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. face — part of the head

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