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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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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: ground · fall · pit · ruler · bass · stem · toast · face

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bass — low music
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. fall — to drop
  7. ground — crushed
  8. face — to confront
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. fall — the season
  15. ground — a position
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bass — the fish
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pit — in a race
  23. toast — bread
  24. ruler — for measuring

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