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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: face · spring · staff · game · racket · mark · wind · mine

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. staff — employees
  3. mark — a trace
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. spring — the season
  6. staff — a stick
  7. game — wild animals
  8. face — part of the head
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. face — to confront
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. staff — employees
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. spring — of water
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mark — a grade
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. game — a match
  22. spring — a coil
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mine — belonging to me

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