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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ruler · ball · face · cell · dip · tear

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. face — part of the head
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cell — a phone
  7. dip — to sink
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a dance
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. face — to point toward
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. cell — in biology
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. face — to confront
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. dip — to dunk

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