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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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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. sharp — clever
  3. face — to confront
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. ball — a dance
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fall — the season
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fall — to drop
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. dip — to sink
  18. ball — a great time
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a cake
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. roll — a list

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