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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 120 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bass — the fish
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pop — music
  9. suit — in cards
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. deal — to handle
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. sharp — clever
  15. suit — clothes
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pop — soda
  18. bass — low music
  19. game — a match
  20. cold — not warm
  21. suit — to fit
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pop — to visit

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