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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. suit — in cards
  3. face — to confront
  4. scale — size or range
  5. track — a path
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. suit — clothes
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. scale — in music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. band — a music group
  14. suit — to fit
  15. band — a ring
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. cold — not warm
  19. kick — in football
  20. cold — an illness
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. track — to keep track
  23. face — part of the head
  24. track — a song

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