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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bound — tied together
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. march — the month
  8. bound — obliged
  9. clip — to cut
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. march — the month
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. march — music
  15. clip — for paper
  16. face — to confront
  17. bound — certain
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bear — the animal
  21. clip — a video
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. chair — to sit on

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