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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. wind — moving air
  3. current — happening now
  4. last — to go on
  5. field — for sport
  6. current — of water
  7. press — a publisher
  8. current — electric
  9. press — to push
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. field — a subject
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. last — finally
  14. face — to confront
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bass — the fish
  17. last — final
  18. firm — a company
  19. field — farmland
  20. firm — decided
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bass — low music
  23. firm — steady
  24. press — newspapers

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