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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: bass · safe · mate · season · fine · face · clip · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. face — to point toward
  4. track — a path
  5. clip — to cut
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fine — all right
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. face — part of the head
  13. mate — to breed
  14. clip — for paper
  15. season — of the year
  16. clip — a video
  17. mate — a partner
  18. season — in sport
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. track — a song
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mate — a friend
  23. face — to confront
  24. fine — high quality

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