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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. scale — size or range
  6. face — part of the head
  7. cue — for pool
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. scale — in music
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. face — to confront
  12. bat — the animal
  13. plane — a tool
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bass — low music
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bass — the fish
  24. plane — in geometry

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