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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. game — a match
  5. drill — army training
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. face — to point toward
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bear — the animal
  13. file — a tool
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bass — the fish
  16. face — to confront
  17. file — a document
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bass — low music
  20. file — a line of people
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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