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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 124 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. capital — money
  3. face — to confront
  4. ball — a great time
  5. chip — to eat
  6. can — to be able to
  7. spring — a coil
  8. can — a tin
  9. wound — an injury
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. face — part of the head
  12. ball — a dance
  13. kick — in football
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. can — a tin
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. capital — a city
  21. wound — an injury
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. face — to point toward
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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