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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pop — soda
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bound — obliged
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pop — music
  10. face — part of the head
  11. rock — music
  12. bound — certain
  13. drill — army training
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pop — to visit
  16. face — to point toward
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bound — tied together
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a great time
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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