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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: last · net · chair · mug · roll · bass · row · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. last — finally
  3. bass — low music
  4. last — to go on
  5. roll — a list
  6. bass — the fish
  7. net — in sport
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. net — after costs
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. last — final
  15. row — a line
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. row — to paddle
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. net — for catching
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. roll — a cake
  23. chair — a leader
  24. roll — on a roll

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