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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 120 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. suit — to fit
  4. face — to confront
  5. suit — in cards
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. cold — an illness
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. face — part of the head
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. suit — clothes
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. lie — to recline
  23. face — to point toward
  24. racket — a loud noise

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