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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: last · bowl · cabinet · mouse · bass · jam · pitcher · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. last — final
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. last — to go on
  14. face — part of the head
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. last — finally
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bass — low music

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