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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rush — hurry
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bound — certain
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bound — obliged
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bound — tied together
  9. spring — of water
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. spring — a coil
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cap — a lid
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. spring — the season
  16. face — part of the head
  17. kick — in football
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cap — of ice
  20. club — a group
  21. face — to confront
  22. club — for golf
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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