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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. band — a music group
  5. snap — to click
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. prune — to trim
  10. face — to point toward
  11. file — a document
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — part of the head
  14. file — a line of people
  15. prune — to trim
  16. band — a ring
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. file — a tool
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. ball — a round shape

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