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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 120 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. track — a song
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bass — low music
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. face — to confront
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bore — to drill
  9. prune — to trim
  10. game — a match
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. track — a path
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bass — the fish
  18. track — to keep track
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bore — to tire
  23. face — to point toward
  24. dip — to sink

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