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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. pitch — completely
  4. rock — a stone
  5. face — part of the head
  6. scale — in music
  7. face — to confront
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. drill — a practice
  13. row — to paddle
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bulb — for light
  16. row — a line
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bulb — for light
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. drill — army training
  23. scale — size or range
  24. mouse — for a computer

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