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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. ball — a dance
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. ball — a great time
  7. scale — size or range
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. march — the month
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mark — a grade
  12. face — to point toward
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. face — to confront
  16. rest — what's left
  17. scale — in music
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. mark — a trace
  23. rush — hurry
  24. sharp — clever

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