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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. face — to point toward
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. face — part of the head
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. ground — the earth
  8. face — to confront
  9. content — happy
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bass — the fish
  13. chair — a leader
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. ground — a position
  16. staff — employees
  17. ground — crushed
  18. content — the amount
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. bass — low music
  24. hand — help

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