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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 120 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 works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — to point toward
  6. land — ground
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. spell — letters
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. face — part of the head
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bass — low music
  14. spell — magic
  15. firm — decided
  16. spell — a short time
  17. firm — steady
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. land — to come down
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bass — the fish
  24. land — a country

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