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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bound — certain
  3. face — to confront
  4. club — a group
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. club — for dancing
  7. face — part of the head
  8. file — a document
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cold — not warm
  12. ball — a dance
  13. file — a tool
  14. cold — an illness
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. kid — to tease
  22. toast — bread
  23. club — for golf
  24. kid — child

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