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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. ball — a great time
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. file — a line of people
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. face — to confront
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pop — soda
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pop — to visit
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pop — music
  24. ruler — for measuring

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