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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. last — to go on
  3. face — part of the head
  4. date — the fruit
  5. face — to point toward
  6. last — finally
  7. wound — an injury
  8. last — final
  9. bass — low music
  10. spring — a coil
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spring — the season
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. mug — a cup
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. tube — a container
  20. mug — a face
  21. spring — of water
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — the underground
  24. face — to confront

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