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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 120 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bass — the fish
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. fork — in a road
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. present — there
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. foot — a measure
  13. present — the time now
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bass — low music
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. present — a gift
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. row — a line

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