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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: court · bass · bat · bore · roll · firm · pop · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bore — to tire
  4. face — part of the head
  5. firm — steady
  6. face — to point toward
  7. firm — a company
  8. firm — decided
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. roll — a cake
  11. court — of a king
  12. bore — to drill
  13. roll — a list
  14. court — for sport
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. pop — music
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. court — of law
  23. bass — low music
  24. pop — soda

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