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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. face — to confront
  4. spell — magic
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rash — hasty
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. spell — letters
  14. face — part of the head
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. rash — a series
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. spell — a short time
  23. ball — a great time
  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