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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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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: can · kid · race · face · bass · cell · mug · toast

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. mug — a cup
  6. face — to point toward
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. can — to be able to
  9. toast — bread
  10. face — to confront
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mug — to rob
  14. can — a tin
  15. kid — to tease
  16. cell — a phone
  17. race — a contest
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. race — humankind
  21. mug — a face
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. race — the arms race
  24. face — part of the head

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