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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. face — to confront
  4. ball — a great time
  5. can — a tin
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. can — to be able to
  9. season — of the year
  10. date — the fruit
  11. season — in sport
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. face — part of the head
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. can — a tin
  18. branch — a division
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. plane — a tool
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. face — to point toward

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