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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. face — to point toward
  3. rule — government
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. craft — a skill
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. face — part of the head
  8. scale — size or range
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. game — a match
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. craft — boats
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. rule — a law
  19. face — to confront
  20. last — to go on
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. game — wild animals
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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