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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. pound — a weight
  4. capital — money
  5. last — final
  6. face — to point toward
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. last — to go on
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. pop — to visit
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. last — finally
  15. pop — music
  16. snap — to click
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. capital — a city
  20. pop — soda
  21. ball — a great time
  22. face — to confront
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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