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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pop — to visit
  8. face — to confront
  9. board — to get on
  10. pop — soda
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — part of the head
  16. board — a committee
  17. mark — a trace
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a path
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. rash — a series
  22. plane — a tool
  23. track — a song
  24. plane — an aircraft

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