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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: shower · band · ball · mark · pass · fine · face · rule

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. ball — a dance
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. rule — a law
  5. fine — all right
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. band — a ring
  8. rule — government
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. shower — rain
  11. band — a music group
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. face — to point toward
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. shower — to wash
  19. face — part of the head
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pass — a permit
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. mark — a grade
  24. ball — a great time

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