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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 120 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. shower — to wash
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. face — to confront
  5. shower — rain
  6. face — part of the head
  7. ground — crushed
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. ground — the earth
  11. face — to point toward
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. season — of the year
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. ground — a position
  21. ball — a dance
  22. fork — in a road
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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