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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 120 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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. shower — to wash
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — to point toward
  5. firm — a company
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. firm — decided
  9. rock — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. stand — to bear
  12. rock — a stone
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. shower — rain
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pop — music
  18. cold — not warm
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cold — an illness
  22. firm — steady
  23. pop — to visit
  24. perch — the fish

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