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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. face — to point toward
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. face — part of the head
  6. board — to get on
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bass — low music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. game — a match
  14. swing — music
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. bass — the fish
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. board — a committee
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. swing — to play on
  23. face — to confront
  24. ruler — for measuring

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