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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. field — a subject
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bound — certain
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bound — tied together
  8. face — to point toward
  9. cue — a signal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. face — to confront
  12. bound — obliged
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. ball — a great time
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. field — for sport
  20. sharp — clever
  21. field — farmland
  22. cue — a hint
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. lie — an untruth

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