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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. face — to confront
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. chest — of your body
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pop — to visit
  9. chest — of your body
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pop — music
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. face — part of the head
  14. present — there
  15. present — a gift
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. present — the time now
  20. pop — soda
  21. chest — a box
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. mine — for digging

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