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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 120 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. face — to confront
  3. rule — government
  4. kid — to tease
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rule — a law
  8. rash — hasty
  9. craft — boats
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rash — a series
  13. ball — a dance
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. can — a tin
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. craft — a skill
  19. can — a tin
  20. face — to point toward
  21. can — to be able to
  22. kid — child
  23. face — part of the head
  24. mouse — 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