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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. firm — steady
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bass — low music
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. face — to confront
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. game — a match
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. firm — a company
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. scale — in music
  23. firm — decided
  24. coach — a trainer

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