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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. swing — in golf
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. band — a music group
  7. land — a country
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rule — a law
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. band — a ring
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. land — to come down
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. land — ground
  21. rule — government
  22. swing — music
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. band — a rubber band

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