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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. rest — a break
  3. board — to get on
  4. face — to confront
  5. bass — the fish
  6. board — a committee
  7. face — part of the head
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rash — a series
  14. object — an aim
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. face — to point toward
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bass — low music
  21. object — a thing
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rest — what's left

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