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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. can — to be able to
  3. snap — to click
  4. dip — to sink
  5. board — a committee
  6. face — part of the head
  7. squash — the sport
  8. board — to get on
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. face — to point toward
  12. can — a tin
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. can — a tin

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