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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. wind — moving air
  3. shower — rain
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. cap — a lid
  7. object — to protest
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. mate — a friend
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mate — to breed
  15. wind — moving air
  16. object — a thing
  17. field — a subject
  18. face — to confront
  19. field — for sport
  20. mate — a partner
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. field — farmland
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. object — an aim

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