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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. face — to point toward
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. fine — high quality
  5. face — part of the head
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. season — in sport
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fine — all right
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — in music
  16. face — to confront
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. scale — size or range
  20. dip — to sink
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. season — of the year

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