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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. face — to point toward
  6. staff — employees
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. swing — music
  9. stand — to bear
  10. lie — to recline
  11. rash — hasty
  12. face — to confront
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. rash — a series
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. face — part of the head
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bat — the animal

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