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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. hand — in cards
  6. face — to confront
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — a series
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. ball — a great time
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pitch — completely
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. ground — crushed
  16. spring — a coil
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. ground — a position
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. hand — help
  23. rash — hasty
  24. ball — a dance

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