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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 116 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. face — to confront
  3. staff — employees
  4. face — part of the head
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. shower — rain
  8. deal — to handle
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. ball — a dance
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. hand — help
  16. staff — a stick
  17. ball — a great time
  18. face — to point toward
  19. shower — to wash
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. season — of the year
  24. deal — an agreement

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