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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rock — music
  8. roll — a list
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bound — tied together
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. mate — a friend
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. roll — a cake
  15. mate — a partner
  16. face — to confront
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bound — certain
  24. wind — to turn a key

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