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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. spring — a coil
  3. fine — high quality
  4. scale — in music
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. spring — the season
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. face — to confront
  14. ground — crushed
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. scale — size or range
  17. face — part of the head
  18. spring — of water
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fine — all right
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. ground — a position
  24. mouse — the animal

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