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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. can — a tin
  7. lie — to recline
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. can — to be able to
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bass — the fish
  16. march — music
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. can — a tin
  19. mine — for digging
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. snap — to click
  23. face — to confront
  24. bass — low music

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