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

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the sport
  4. cue — for pool
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. last — final
  7. last — to go on
  8. kid — to tease
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. cue — a hint
  12. last — finally
  13. lie — to recline
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. ball — a dance
  16. stem — to come from
  17. kid — child
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cue — a signal
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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