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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · shower · rest · present · bay · firm · mine · face

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. face — part of the head
  3. firm — a company
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. shower — to wash
  7. firm — decided
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rest — a break
  10. face — to confront
  11. present — there
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. mine — for digging
  17. firm — steady
  18. shower — rain
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. present — a gift
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. present — the time now
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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