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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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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. face — part of the head
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. face — to confront
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. cold — an illness
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. march — the month
  13. season — in sport
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. row — to paddle
  17. face — to point toward
  18. march — music
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. march — the month
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. wake — a trail
  23. cold — not warm
  24. season — of the year

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