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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: face · stand · rash · bass · track · game · shower · march

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. stand — to bear
  3. track — a path
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bass — low music
  7. march — the month
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. track — a song
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. shower — rain
  13. march — the month
  14. bass — the fish
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. game — wild animals
  17. shower — to wash
  18. face — to confront
  19. rash — hasty
  20. face — part of the head
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. track — to keep track
  24. march — 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