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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. fall — to drop
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. face — to point toward
  8. track — a song
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — a cup
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. face — to confront
  14. mug — to rob
  15. court — for sport
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. sharp — clever
  18. court — of a king
  19. track — a path
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. court — of law
  23. fall — the season
  24. sharp — with an edge

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