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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. face — to confront
  3. scale — in music
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pop — soda
  6. face — to point toward
  7. mate — a friend
  8. firm — decided
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. band — a music group
  11. pop — music
  12. firm — a company
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pop — to visit
  18. face — part of the head
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. firm — steady
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. scale — for weighing

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