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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cue — a hint
  5. can — a tin
  6. face — part of the head
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cue — for pool
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. rest — what's left
  13. face — to confront
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. game — wild animals
  16. face — to point toward
  17. game — a match
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. cue — a signal
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rest — a break
  24. can — a tin

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