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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bass — the fish
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — to confront
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bass — low music
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. wax — to grow
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. toast — bread
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chip — for betting

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