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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 116 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. game — a match
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. face — part of the head
  6. track — a song
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. track — to keep track
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. track — a path
  12. court — for sport
  13. face — to confront
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. charge — in control
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cue — a signal
  20. game — wild animals
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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