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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: jam · stand · cell · bass · deal · capital · face · file

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. stand — to bear
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. face — to point toward
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. file — a tool
  7. cell — in biology
  8. capital — a city
  9. bass — low music
  10. cell — a phone
  11. face — part of the head
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bass — the fish
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — to handle
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. face — to confront
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. deal — a big deal

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