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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rest — a break
  7. track — a song
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. face — to point toward
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bass — low music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. track — a path
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. track — to keep track
  22. fall — the season
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fall — to drop

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