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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. rock — a stone
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. face — to point toward
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. court — of law
  15. rock — music
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a ring
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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