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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. ball — a great time
  4. kick — in football
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. present — there
  8. key — the most important part
  9. present — the time now
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. ball — a dance
  12. present — a gift
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. game — a match
  15. face — to point toward
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. face — to confront
  20. net — for catching
  21. game — wild animals
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — in music
  24. pound — a weight

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