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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: shower · bass · mate · track · hide · face · roll · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bass — the fish
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. face — to confront
  7. shower — to wash
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a song
  10. shower — rain
  11. board — to get on
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. mate — a partner
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bass — low music
  16. face — part of the head
  17. roll — a cake
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mate — a friend
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. track — a path
  23. face — to point toward
  24. roll — a list

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