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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. band — a music group
  3. face — to confront
  4. row — to paddle
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. ball — a great time
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rash — a series
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. face — to point toward
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. row — a line
  18. rash — hasty
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. band — a ring
  21. mug — a cup
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a face

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