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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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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — in cards
  4. face — part of the head
  5. suit — clothes
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. row — to paddle
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rock — music
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. face — to confront
  18. rock — a stone

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