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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mine — for digging
  3. face — to confront
  4. bass — low music
  5. pitch — completely
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pop — soda
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pop — to visit
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. stem — to come from
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pop — music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. fine — high quality
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. face — to point toward

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