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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: toast · bass · hand · content · face · scale · pitcher · leaves

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. face — part of the head
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. toast — bread
  10. scale — size or range
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. content — the amount
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bass — the fish
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. hand — help
  21. scale — in music
  22. content — happy
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — to go away

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