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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. face — part of the head
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. spring — a coil
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. squash — the sport
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. fall — the season
  9. capital — money
  10. face — to confront
  11. fall — to drop
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. face — to point toward
  14. squash — to crush
  15. date — the fruit
  16. spring — of water
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. fall — to drop
  24. capital — a city

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