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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — to confront
  3. staff — employees
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. face — part of the head
  6. mate — a partner
  7. roll — a list
  8. staff — a stick
  9. firm — a company
  10. file — a document
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bass — low music
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. staff — employees
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bass — the fish
  17. firm — decided
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. file — a tool
  21. roll — a cake
  22. firm — steady
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bass — the instrument

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