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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. spring — of water
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. court — of law
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. spring — a coil
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. face — to point toward
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. court — of a king
  16. spring — the season
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. court — for sport
  20. cell — a phone
  21. face — to confront
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. cell — in biology
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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