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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 120 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. cap — a hat
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. pit — in a race
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. court — for sport
  15. pit — a hole
  16. dip — to sink
  17. court — of a king
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. face — part of the head
  23. court — of law
  24. cap — of ice

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