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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. track — a song
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. court — for sport
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. face — to point toward
  9. track — a path
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. track — to keep track
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mine — for digging
  14. face — part of the head
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pitch — completely
  20. foot — a measure
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. face — to confront
  24. safe — a strongbox

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