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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
468
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: face · bass · present · mouse · pitcher · date · rule · capital

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rule — a law
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. capital — money
  6. rule — government
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. face — to confront
  9. capital — a city
  10. face — to point toward
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. present — a gift
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. present — there
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. present — the time now
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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