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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. face — to point toward
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — to tire
  10. spring — of water
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. face — part of the head
  13. perch — the fish
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. spring — a coil
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. face — to confront
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. perch — for a bird

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