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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bass — the fish
  4. face — to confront
  5. lean — thin
  6. bass — low music
  7. land — to come down
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. land — ground
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. key — in music
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cell — a phone
  16. lean — to bend
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. land — a country
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cell — in a prison

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