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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 116 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. object — a thing
  3. sharp — clever
  4. spell — magic
  5. cue — a hint
  6. object — an aim
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. spell — a short time
  9. face — to point toward
  10. object — to protest
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cue — a signal
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. face — to confront
  22. spell — letters
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pitcher — a jug

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