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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — part of the head
  3. row — to paddle
  4. season — in sport
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. face — to confront
  9. fall — the season
  10. game — wild animals
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wax — to grow
  13. season — of the year
  14. row — a line
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mine — for digging

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