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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. face — to confront
  3. spring — the season
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. shower — to wash
  6. face — part of the head
  7. shower — rain
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. spring — a coil
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. season — in sport
  17. rash — a series
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rash — hasty
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. face — to point toward
  23. spring — of water
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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