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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. squash — the sport
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. spring — of water
  7. bear — the animal
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cap — of ice
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. band — a music group
  13. cap — a lid
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. band — a ring
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — completely
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. spring — the season
  20. face — to point toward
  21. spring — a coil
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. cap — a hat

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