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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · bat · object · pound · face · sharp · fork · band

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. ball — a dance
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. face — to confront
  9. band — a music group
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. ball — a great time
  13. band — a ring
  14. object — to protest
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pound — a weight
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. face — to point toward
  19. object — a thing
  20. bat — the animal
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. object — an aim
  24. sharp — exactly

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