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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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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: prune · court · bass · scale · face · mark · toast · track

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. court — of a king
  3. prune — to trim
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. mark — a grade
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — in music
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bass — low music
  14. track — to keep track
  15. face — part of the head
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. court — for sport
  18. prune — to trim
  19. face — to confront
  20. toast — bread
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. track — a song
  23. track — a path
  24. court — of law

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