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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.

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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. suit — in cards
  5. track — a song
  6. suit — to fit
  7. net — after costs
  8. face — part of the head
  9. track — to keep track
  10. kid — child
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. face — to confront
  13. pop — soda
  14. face — to point toward
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. wind — moving air
  17. kid — to tease
  18. net — in sport
  19. suit — clothes
  20. track — a path
  21. net — for catching
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bass — the fish
  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