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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. board — to get on
  6. face — to confront
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. board — a committee
  9. game — a match
  10. wake — a trail
  11. spell — a short time
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. spell — letters
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. jam — in traffic

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