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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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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: fan · face · chest · scale · deal · ball · race · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. race — humankind
  3. ball — a great time
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. ball — a dance
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — to confront
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pop — to visit
  14. deal — to handle
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. chest — a box
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. race — the arms race
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pop — music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. race — a contest

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