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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. face — to confront
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. lean — to bend
  6. stand — to bear
  7. face — part of the head
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. date — the fruit
  10. root — the cause
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bass — the fish
  16. lean — thin
  17. root — of a word
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. face — to point toward
  20. root — of a plant
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bound — certain
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. temple — a place of worship

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