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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lean — thin
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. face — to point toward
  7. lean — to bend
  8. roll — a list
  9. track — a path
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bass — low music
  12. staff — employees
  13. pit — a hole
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. track — a song
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. face — part of the head
  19. game — a match
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. staff — a stick
  22. game — wild animals
  23. track — to keep track
  24. face — to confront

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