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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bound — obliged
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bound — tied together
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bound — certain
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. face — part of the head
  10. season — in sport
  11. bass — the fish
  12. root — of a plant
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. season — of the year
  15. chip — for betting
  16. pitch — completely
  17. face — to point toward
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. root — the cause
  21. bass — low music
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. root — of a word
  24. chip — to eat

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