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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 112 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. face — to point toward
  4. stand — to bear
  5. cue — a hint
  6. face — to confront
  7. bass — low music
  8. face — part of the head
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. sharp — clever
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. cell — in biology
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — a phone
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bass — the fish
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a signal

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