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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. date — the fruit
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. cold — not warm
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rash — a series
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bass — low music
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. face — part of the head
  18. staff — employees
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cold — an illness
  24. hand — help

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