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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. track — a song
  3. kid — child
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pop — music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. face — to confront
  11. kid — to tease
  12. face — to point toward
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. pop — to visit
  17. track — a path
  18. pop — soda

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