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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. row — a line
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. fine — all right
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. race — a contest
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. face — to point toward
  11. season — in sport
  12. present — the time now
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bass — the fish
  16. present — there
  17. race — humankind
  18. fine — high quality
  19. row — to paddle
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. present — a gift
  23. bass — low music
  24. race — the arms race

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