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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. swing — to play on
  3. fork — in a road
  4. swing — in golf
  5. content — happy
  6. content — the amount
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. saw — the tool
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to confront
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bass — the fish
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. swing — music
  16. stand — to bear
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bass — low music
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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