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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. face — to point toward
  2. bass — the fish
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. mate — a friend
  6. tube — a container
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bass — low music
  9. face — to confront
  10. staff — employees
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. club — for dancing
  14. staff — a stick
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. hand — in cards
  18. face — part of the head
  19. staff — employees
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. tube — the underground
  23. last — final
  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