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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: object · face · bass · row · content · mark · ball · root

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bass — the fish
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. mark — a trace
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — happy
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — an aim
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. content — the amount
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. row — to paddle
  15. face — to confront
  16. ball — a dance
  17. root — the cause
  18. object — a thing
  19. row — a line
  20. ball — a great time
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bass — low music

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