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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: bass · roll · rest · arm · court · face · stock · row

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. face — to confront
  3. court — for sport
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. court — of a king
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stock — goods
  12. rest — what's left
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — a cake
  15. face — part of the head
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. court — of law
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. row — a line
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. rest — a break
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — shares
  24. face — to point toward

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