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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — a company
  4. hand — help
  5. face — part of the head
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. hand — in cards
  8. present — a gift
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. present — there
  11. pop — to visit
  12. firm — decided
  13. pop — music
  14. present — the time now
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pop — soda
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. scale — in music
  19. game — wild animals
  20. scale — size or range
  21. face — to point toward
  22. game — a match
  23. face — to confront
  24. hand — part of the body

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