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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bass — low music
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rock — a stone
  8. root — the cause
  9. bass — the fish
  10. face — part of the head
  11. staff — employees
  12. spring — of water
  13. rash — a series
  14. root — of a plant
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. face — to confront
  20. rock — music
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. root — of a word
  24. sharp — with an edge

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