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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: mine · jam · march · squash · face · bass · ball · track

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. face — part of the head
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bass — the fish
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. mine — for digging
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. ball — a dance
  12. face — to point toward
  13. squash — to crush
  14. face — to confront
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. bass — low music
  19. march — the month
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. ball — a great time
  24. track — a song

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