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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. scale — in music
  3. mug — to rob
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pound — a weight
  8. ball — a great time
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cell — a phone
  11. face — to confront
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — a face
  17. rest — a break
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cell — in biology
  24. ball — a dance

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