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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rock — music
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — soda
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bass — low music
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. pop — to visit
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. toast — bread
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rock — a stone
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — in a road

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