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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bat — the animal
  3. face — to confront
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. rock — music
  8. sharp — clever
  9. last — final
  10. ball — a dance
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. last — to go on
  13. capital — a city
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. last — finally
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. capital — money
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. face — to point toward
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. face — part of the head

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