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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. squash — to crush
  3. face — to confront
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. squash — the sport
  6. land — to come down
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. land — a country
  9. spell — magic
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. ball — a great time
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. spell — a short time
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. face — to point toward
  22. spell — letters
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. land — ground

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