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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 120 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: rash · net · pop · nail · bass · face · shower · last

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. last — to go on
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pop — soda
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. last — finally
  8. net — after costs
  9. pop — to visit
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. last — final
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. net — for catching
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. face — to point toward
  20. shower — to wash
  21. net — in sport
  22. pop — music
  23. bass — low music
  24. shower — rain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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