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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 116 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. face — to point toward
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. root — of a word
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bass — the fish
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. face — to confront
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rock — a stone
  12. root — the cause
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rock — music
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cold — an illness
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — music
  19. root — of a plant
  20. swing — to play on
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. spell — letters
  24. bass — low music

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