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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 116 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. vault — a safe
  3. face — to confront
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. rash — hasty
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bat — the animal
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. can — a tin
  12. cue — a signal
  13. band — a ring
  14. cue — for pool
  15. rash — a series
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. band — a music group
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. cue — a hint
  22. can — to be able to
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. can — a tin

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