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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: can · lie · mouse · bass · cabinet · bat · face · capital

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. capital — money
  5. can — a tin
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. can — to be able to
  11. lie — to recline
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bass — low music
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. can — a tin
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bat — the animal
  24. face — to confront

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