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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. face — to point toward
  3. craft — a skill
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pass — a permit
  7. craft — boats
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. rock — a stone
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. face — to confront
  13. game — wild animals
  14. row — a line
  15. game — a match
  16. band — a music group
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. band — a ring
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. face — part of the head
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. row — to paddle

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