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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 · tear · bass · pass · jam · kick · can · face

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. can — to be able to
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. bass — the fish
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. bass — low music
  7. can — a tin
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. face — to point toward
  12. toast — bread
  13. face — part of the head
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. pass — a permit
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. tear — to rip
  22. face — to confront
  23. can — a tin
  24. jam — a tight spot

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