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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 116 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bass — the fish
  3. firm — a company
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. firm — steady
  6. bass — low music
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. current — happening now
  9. face — part of the head
  10. firm — decided
  11. cold — an illness
  12. wound — an injury
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wound — an injury
  19. face — to confront
  20. current — electric
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. current — of water

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