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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. suit — clothes
  4. race — a contest
  5. wind — moving air
  6. race — humankind
  7. wind — moving air
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. bass — low music
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — government
  18. suit — in cards
  19. face — to point toward
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. rule — a law
  23. suit — to fit
  24. race — the arms race

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