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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cue — a signal
  4. spell — a short time
  5. face — to confront
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. firm — a company
  8. mark — a grade
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. firm — steady
  12. cue — a hint
  13. season — in sport
  14. mark — a trace
  15. firm — decided
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. cue — for pool
  21. season — of the year
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. face — to point toward

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