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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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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: lash · rest · press · bass · face · toast · march · race

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bass — low music
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. press — a publisher
  6. face — to point toward
  7. march — the month
  8. race — a contest
  9. march — music
  10. press — to push
  11. toast — bread
  12. rest — what's left
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rest — what's left
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bass — the fish
  20. race — the arms race
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. march — the month
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. race — humankind

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