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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. board — a committee
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mug — a face
  7. spring — a coil
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. face — to confront
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. mug — to rob
  12. track — a song
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. mug — a cup
  16. fork — in a road
  17. spring — the season
  18. kid — child
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. face — part of the head
  21. board — to get on
  22. spring — of water
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bass — low music

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