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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. face — part of the head
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. rash — a series
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — to confront
  7. cell — in biology
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. stand — to bear
  10. spring — the season
  11. mine — for digging
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. wind — moving air
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. spring — of water
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cell — a phone
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cell — in a prison

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