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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bound — tied together
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. face — to point toward
  6. track — a path
  7. face — to confront
  8. track — a song
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. game — a match
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bass — the fish
  17. season — in sport
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. season — of the year
  20. bass — low music
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. track — to keep track
  23. face — part of the head
  24. mine — an explosive

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