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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: arm · rest · face · ball · rash · jam · field · pop

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. field — farmland
  8. pop — to visit
  9. field — a subject
  10. pop — soda
  11. field — for sport
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. rash — hasty
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ball — a great time
  16. rash — a series
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pop — music
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rest — what's left
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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