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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. squash — to crush
  4. can — a tin
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. can — to be able to
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. face — to point toward
  10. field — for sport
  11. face — part of the head
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. perch — the fish
  17. face — to confront
  18. hand — help
  19. ball — a dance
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. squash — the sport
  23. can — a tin
  24. squash — the vegetable

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