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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. face — part of the head
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. rule — government
  10. face — to confront
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. can — to be able to
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. can — a tin
  16. rule — a law
  17. snap — to click
  18. content — the amount
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. can — a tin
  21. bass — low music
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. content — happy
  24. fan — a supporter

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