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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: shower · face · pass · march · root · bass · mate · last

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. march — the month
  6. mate — a friend
  7. root — of a word
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. face — to point toward
  14. root — of a plant
  15. shower — to wash
  16. root — the cause
  17. bass — low music
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. face — to confront
  23. mate — a partner
  24. face — part of the head

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