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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. ball — a great time
  7. track — to keep track
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. sharp — clever
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. face — to confront
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. face — to point toward
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — a video
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. face — part of the head
  20. plane — a tool
  21. kid — child
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. kid — to tease

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