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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: face · mine · club · last · nail · ball · leaves · ground

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. last — finally
  5. face — to confront
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. last — final
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — for golf
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. last — to go on
  14. ground — crushed
  15. face — part of the head
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mine — for digging
  19. club — a group
  20. ground — a position
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. face — to point toward
  24. leaves — lets stay

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