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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rush · rash · bat · cue · spring · land · nail · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bat — the animal
  4. cue — for pool
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. land — to come down
  9. spring — of water
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. face — to point toward
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. cue — a signal
  20. land — a country
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. land — ground
  23. cue — a hint
  24. rash — a series

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