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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 116 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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. march — music
  4. hand — help
  5. face — to confront
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. face — part of the head
  9. suit — clothes
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. march — the month
  12. suit — to fit
  13. rush — hurry
  14. pitch — completely
  15. face — to point toward
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. march — the month
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bass — the fish

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