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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. track — a path
  3. net — for catching
  4. ball — a dance
  5. staff — employees
  6. march — the month
  7. face — to confront
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. object — a thing
  10. face — to point toward
  11. net — after costs
  12. track — a song
  13. staff — employees
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. march — the month
  16. ball — a great time
  17. track — to keep track
  18. net — in sport
  19. object — an aim
  20. staff — a stick
  21. march — music
  22. face — part of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. object — to protest

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