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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. rash — hasty
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. ball — a dance
  6. chest — of your body
  7. foot — a measure
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to sink
  10. present — there
  11. chest — a box
  12. staff — employees
  13. face — to confront
  14. ball — a great time
  15. staff — a stick
  16. present — a gift
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. rash — a series
  19. staff — employees
  20. chest — of your body
  21. face — part of the head
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. present — the time now
  24. foot — part of the body

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