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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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468
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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. mate — a friend
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. face — to point toward
  6. clip — for paper
  7. face — part of the head
  8. snap — to click
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. face — to confront
  13. stand — to bear
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. clip — a video
  17. cell — a phone
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. cell — in biology
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. ball — a great time

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