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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rock — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. net — in sport
  8. bound — certain
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rock — a stone
  16. fall — the season
  17. rash — a series
  18. net — after costs
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pop — music
  22. face — to confront
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rash — hasty

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