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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. scale — size or range
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. spell — magic
  11. face — to point toward
  12. spell — letters
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. spell — a short time
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. scale — in music
  20. cue — a hint
  21. saw — the tool
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. sharp — clever
  24. saw — the tool

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