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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. roll — a list
  4. roll — a cake
  5. face — to point toward
  6. rash — a series
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. capital — a city
  13. spring — of water
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. spring — the season
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rash — hasty
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bass — the fish
  23. capital — money
  24. face — to confront

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