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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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 great time
  2. face — part of the head
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. face — to confront
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. march — music
  9. bore — to tire
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. face — to point toward
  12. ball — a dance
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rash — a series
  16. march — the month
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. march — the month
  21. bore — to drill
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bowl — to roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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