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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — a stone
  3. face — part of the head
  4. spring — the season
  5. face — to point toward
  6. rock — music
  7. track — a path
  8. fall — to drop
  9. track — to keep track
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cell — a phone
  12. board — to get on
  13. spring — of water
  14. fall — the season
  15. board — a committee
  16. spring — a coil
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cell — in biology
  20. track — a song
  21. face — to confront
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cell — in a prison

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