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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
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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: kid · file · bass · rash · roll · face · present · bat

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. face — to point toward
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. present — the time now
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bat — the animal
  8. file — a line of people
  9. face — to confront
  10. file — a tool
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a cake
  14. roll — a list
  15. present — there
  16. bass — low music
  17. kid — child
  18. file — a document
  19. rash — a series
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. present — a gift
  24. bass — the fish

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