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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. face — part of the head
  3. band — a ring
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. face — to point toward
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. face — to confront
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. band — a music group
  19. fine — all right
  20. fall — the season
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. season — to add flavour

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