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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. last — finally
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. rest — what's left
  8. field — for sport
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. rest — a break
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bass — the fish
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. field — a subject
  16. last — to go on
  17. rest — what's left
  18. face — to confront
  19. plane — a tool
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. last — final
  23. field — farmland
  24. face — part of the head

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