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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. face — to point toward
  3. root — of a word
  4. bass — the fish
  5. season — of the year
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. bass — low music
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. rock — a stone
  13. race — the arms race
  14. face — to confront
  15. race — humankind
  16. face — part of the head
  17. race — a contest
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. season — in sport
  20. root — the cause
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cap — a lid
  23. rock — music
  24. root — of a plant

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