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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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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. last — to go on
  6. court — of a king
  7. face — to point toward
  8. track — a song
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. court — for sport
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. court — of law
  14. track — to keep track
  15. last — finally
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. last — final
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bass — the fish
  23. toast — bread
  24. track — a path

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