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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cell — a phone
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. track — a song
  7. stand — to bear
  8. net — for catching
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. net — in sport
  11. bass — low music
  12. mine — for digging
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. track — a path
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bass — the fish
  18. face — to confront
  19. mark — a grade
  20. track — to keep track
  21. face — part of the head
  22. mark — a trace
  23. net — after costs
  24. cell — in a prison

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