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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 116 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. lean — thin
  7. hand — help
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. track — to keep track
  10. face — to confront
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. content — the amount
  13. track — a song
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. track — a path
  19. pass — a permit
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. face — part of the head
  22. content — happy
  23. bass — the fish
  24. hand — part of the body

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