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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. face — to point toward
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. rush — hurry
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. face — to confront
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. drill — a practice
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. ground — a position
  20. bound — obliged
  21. ground — the earth
  22. deal — to handle
  23. face — part of the head
  24. game — a kind of play

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