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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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 — to point toward
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. court — of a king
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. face — to confront
  12. court — of law
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. lie — to recline
  16. row — a line
  17. row — to paddle
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — a phone
  21. face — part of the head
  22. court — for sport
  23. mine — for digging
  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