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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spring — the season
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rash — hasty
  8. ball — a great time
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. spring — a coil
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. face — to confront
  13. rest — what's left
  14. face — part of the head
  15. fine — all right
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. rash — a series
  18. ball — a dance
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fine — high quality
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rest — a break
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. shower — rain

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