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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. scale — in music
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wax — to grow
  13. face — to point toward
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. scale — size or range
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. face — part of the head
  24. scale — for weighing

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