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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pop — music
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. face — to point toward
  8. shower — rain
  9. face — to confront
  10. shower — to wash
  11. field — farmland
  12. ball — a dance
  13. field — a subject
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. ball — a great time
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pop — to visit
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. field — for sport
  22. pop — soda
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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