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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. face — part of the head
  3. spring — of water
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. spring — the season
  6. rock — music
  7. march — the month
  8. shower — to wash
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. net — for catching
  11. march — music
  12. chip — for betting
  13. rock — a stone
  14. net — after costs
  15. spring — a coil
  16. march — the month
  17. foot — a measure
  18. shower — rain
  19. face — to point toward
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. net — in sport
  22. face — to confront
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. chip — to eat

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