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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a great time
  3. game — a match
  4. pit — in a race
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. kid — to tease
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rock — a stone
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. game — wild animals
  14. kid — child
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. face — to confront
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — a hole
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. band — a music group
  21. ball — a dance
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. band — a ring

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