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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. face — to confront
  3. sharp — clever
  4. court — of law
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. ball — a dance
  10. face — part of the head
  11. hand — help
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. face — to point toward
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pitch — completely
  17. scale — in music
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. court — for sport
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. fine — all right
  24. court — of a king

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