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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. face — to confront
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bass — low music
  11. pound — a weight
  12. roll — a list
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bass — the fish
  15. face — part of the head
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bat — the animal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. roll — a cake

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