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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. face — to confront
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. court — of law
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. face — part of the head
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. band — a ring
  13. net — in sport
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. court — for sport
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bark — to shout
  19. court — of a king
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. fall — to drop

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