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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bound — certain
  5. land — a country
  6. pitch — completely
  7. face — part of the head
  8. file — a document
  9. face — to confront
  10. land — ground
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. file — a tool
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. land — to come down
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. toast — bread
  19. bound — obliged
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bound — tied together

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