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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. current — electric
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bass — low music
  10. face — part of the head
  11. scale — in music
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. current — happening now
  16. scale — size or range
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. current — of water
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bound — tied together

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