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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. face — to point toward
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. face — to confront
  6. bass — low music
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — the tool
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rush — hurry
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bass — the fish
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. row — a line
  24. mouse — the animal

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