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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. can — a tin
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. face — to confront
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. can — to be able to
  7. ground — crushed
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. pound — a weight
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — a safe
  19. ground — a position
  20. net — after costs
  21. face — part of the head
  22. can — a tin
  23. ground — the earth
  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