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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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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: game · rush · mouse · face · last · charge · spring · hide

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. charge — a price
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. last — finally
  5. game — a match
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rush — hurry
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. spring — the season
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. charge — electricity
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. spring — of water
  21. charge — in control
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. face — to confront

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