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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pit — in a race
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to confront
  10. stand — to bear
  11. pit — a hole
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. date — the fruit
  16. spring — the season
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. toast — bread
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. stand — on your feet

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