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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. face — to confront
  4. shower — rain
  5. last — finally
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. face — part of the head
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. court — of law
  14. last — final
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. date — the fruit
  22. last — to go on
  23. bowl — a dish
  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