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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: squash · ball · mouse · key · track · field · shower · face

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. field — a subject
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. face — part of the head
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. key — for a lock
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. face — to confront
  9. shower — to wash
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. field — farmland
  13. key — in music
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. track — to keep track
  16. field — for sport
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. squash — to crush
  20. face — to point toward
  21. key — the most important part
  22. shower — rain
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the sport

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