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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bass — low music
  4. fall — the season
  5. bound — certain
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cell — in biology
  8. face — to point toward
  9. track — a song
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bound — obliged
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. cell — a phone
  14. track — a path
  15. mate — to breed
  16. face — to confront
  17. mate — a friend
  18. fall — to drop
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mate — a partner
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bound — tied together

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