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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rest — a break
  3. bass — the fish
  4. foot — a measure
  5. rest — what's left
  6. season — in sport
  7. scale — in music
  8. face — to confront
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. rest — what's left
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. face — to point toward
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. scale — size or range
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. season — of the year
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. face — part of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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