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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. drill — army training
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. spring — the season
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. cue — a hint
  7. face — to confront
  8. mug — a cup
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. shower — rain
  13. cue — a signal
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. capital — money
  18. face — to point toward
  19. capital — a city
  20. mug — to rob
  21. drill — the tool
  22. cue — for pool
  23. shower — to wash
  24. mug — a face

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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