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

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. lean — thin
  3. face — part of the head
  4. rest — what's left
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rest — a break
  9. swing — in golf
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bass — the fish
  14. face — to confront
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. swing — music
  18. bass — low music

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