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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. tear — from crying
  7. face — to confront
  8. tear — from crying
  9. charge — in control
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. face — part of the head
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — a price
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bulb — for light
  17. tear — to rip
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. scale — in music
  22. squash — to crush
  23. fall — to drop
  24. face — to point toward

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