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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. land — ground
  3. face — part of the head
  4. land — to come down
  5. face — to confront
  6. bear — the animal
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. ground — crushed
  9. charge — a price
  10. season — in sport
  11. bear — the animal
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — rain
  14. land — a country
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. season — of the year
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. ground — the earth
  20. charge — electricity
  21. ground — a position
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. charge — in control
  24. straw — a straw man

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