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

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. face — to confront
  4. game — a match
  5. rash — a series
  6. saw — the tool
  7. face — to point toward
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rash — hasty
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. band — a music group
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. face — part of the head
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. game — wild animals
  21. band — a ring
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. ball — a dance

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