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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mate — a partner
  4. sharp — clever
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. face — to confront
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. face — part of the head
  11. hand — in cards
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mate — a friend
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mate — to breed
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. lie — to recline
  22. face — to point toward
  23. ball — a dance
  24. hand — help

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