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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 120 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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. spell — letters
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. face — to point toward
  5. court — for sport
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pop — music
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spell — magic
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. court — of a king
  15. fall — to drop
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spell — a short time
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. fall — the season
  21. court — of law
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. face — to confront
  24. pop — soda

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