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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. face — to confront
  6. pop — soda
  7. rock — music
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mark — a grade
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rock — a stone
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. mark — a trace
  18. game — a match
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pop — to visit
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pop — music
  24. rock — to move gently

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