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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. face — to confront
  5. ball — a dance
  6. clip — to cut
  7. face — to point toward
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. last — finally
  11. rash — a series
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. stand — to bear
  14. clip — for paper
  15. face — part of the head
  16. last — to go on
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. ball — a great time
  19. clip — a video
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. last — final
  24. bowl — to roll

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