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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.

Make a worksheet

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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. track — a path
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. net — after costs
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. track — to keep track
  8. face — part of the head
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bass — the fish
  11. face — to confront
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bass — low music
  14. track — a song
  15. face — to point toward
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. cabinet — ministers

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