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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — to confront
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pound — a weight
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bat — the animal
  9. ball — a great time
  10. roll — a cake
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. face — part of the head
  15. roll — a list
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. charge — a price
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. charge — electricity
  23. ball — a dance
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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