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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 116 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. shower — to wash
  8. board — a committee
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. field — for sport
  11. bass — low music
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. face — part of the head
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. press — a publisher
  18. board — to get on
  19. shower — rain
  20. press — to push
  21. bass — the fish
  22. face — to confront
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. board — a flat piece

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