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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. file — a document
  3. face — to confront
  4. file — a line of people
  5. squash — to crush
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pop — to visit
  8. degree — from a university
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. squash — the sport
  11. ball — a great time
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pop — music
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wax — to grow
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. file — a tool
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pop — soda

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