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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. board — a committee
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. stem — to come from
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bass — the fish
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. board — to get on
  17. key — the most important part
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. file — a line of people
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. date — the fruit
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — in music

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