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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bass — the fish
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bear — the animal
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. drill — the tool
  8. pop — music
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. drill — army training
  16. hand — in cards
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bear — the animal
  19. face — to confront
  20. pop — to visit
  21. hand — help
  22. bass — low music
  23. lie — to recline
  24. face — to point toward

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