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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. roll — a cake
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. rest — what's left
  9. current — electric
  10. rest — a break
  11. current — of water
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. face — to confront
  17. rock — a stone
  18. roll — a list
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. face — to point toward
  21. rock — music
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. current — happening now

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