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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. game — a match
  5. staff — employees
  6. face — to confront
  7. shower — rain
  8. can — to be able to
  9. wind — moving air
  10. face — part of the head
  11. shower — to wash
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. ball — a great time
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. ball — a dance
  22. face — to point toward
  23. game — wild animals
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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