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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · game · face · file · rock · shower · wave · swing

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. swing — in golf
  3. game — a match
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. file — a line of people
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. face — part of the head
  8. shower — rain
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. shower — to wash
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. toast — bread
  17. rock — music
  18. face — to point toward
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rock — a stone
  21. swing — music
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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