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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pop — music
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. game — wild animals
  16. face — to confront
  17. stand — to bear
  18. pop — soda
  19. ball — a great time
  20. pop — to visit
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. cabinet — ministers

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