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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. land — a country
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. face — to point toward
  8. ball — a great time
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. mate — to breed
  11. deal — to handle
  12. kid — to tease
  13. land — ground
  14. mate — a partner
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. face — to confront
  18. mate — a friend
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. ball — a dance
  21. perch — the fish
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. land — to come down
  24. kid — child

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