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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: face · scale · drill · mark · bass · game · foot · lash

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. foot — a measure
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. bass — low music
  6. mark — a trace
  7. face — to confront
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. drill — army training
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. mark — a grade
  18. face — part of the head
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. drill — a practice
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. game — wild animals
  24. drill — the tool

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