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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. face — to confront
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. ball — a great time
  5. hand — help
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. ball — a dance
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bound — obliged
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bound — tied together
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bound — certain
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. mouse — the animal

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