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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. club — for golf
  3. face — to confront
  4. bass — low music
  5. land — to come down
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pop — soda
  8. bass — the fish
  9. club — for dancing
  10. land — a country
  11. club — a group
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. land — ground
  18. track — a song
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. track — to keep track
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. track — a path
  24. face — to point toward

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