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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — to confront
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. band — a ring
  5. current — of water
  6. content — the amount
  7. cue — a hint
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. game — a match
  12. rock — music
  13. content — happy
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. current — happening now
  16. rock — a stone
  17. cue — a signal
  18. face — part of the head
  19. band — a music group
  20. current — electric
  21. cue — for pool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rock — to move gently

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