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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. court — of law
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. roll — a cake
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. roll — a list
  9. face — to confront
  10. court — for sport
  11. ball — a great time
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. scale — size or range
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. scale — in music
  18. band — a music group
  19. court — of a king
  20. band — a ring
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. ball — a dance
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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