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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: face · pop · staff · tear · roll · content · drill · ball

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. roll — a cake
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. staff — employees
  7. face — to confront
  8. pop — soda
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pop — to visit
  11. drill — the tool
  12. content — the amount
  13. pop — music
  14. drill — army training
  15. ball — a great time
  16. staff — a stick
  17. ball — a dance
  18. drill — a practice
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. roll — a list
  22. content — happy
  23. staff — employees
  24. tear — from crying

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