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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. cue — a hint
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. face — to confront
  8. cue — for pool
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cue — a signal
  12. face — part of the head
  13. sharp — clever
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cap — a hat
  16. pop — soda
  17. branch — a division
  18. pop — music
  19. cap — a lid
  20. face — to point toward
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pop — to visit
  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