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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. object — to protest
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fork — in a road
  5. object — an aim
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. object — a thing
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bound — obliged
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pitch — completely
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bound — tied together
  20. spring — of water
  21. bound — certain
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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