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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: track · charge · degree · fall · stand · bass · face · bowl

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bass — low music
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. degree — from a university
  5. fall — to drop
  6. charge — a price
  7. face — to confront
  8. fall — the season
  9. track — to keep track
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. track — a path
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. face — part of the head
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bass — the fish
  19. charge — in control
  20. fall — to drop
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bowl — to roll

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