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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · vault · mouse · dip · field · bowl · rash · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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. rash — a series
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. vault — a safe
  10. face — part of the head
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. field — for sport
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. face — to point toward
  18. rash — hasty
  19. field — a subject
  20. bass — low music
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. face — to confront
  23. field — farmland
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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