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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. game — wild animals
  4. face — part of the head
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. hand — in cards
  7. ball — a great time
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. hand — help
  12. face — to confront
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. ball — a dance
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. game — a match

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