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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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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: cue · band · rock · deal · ball · field · face · rush

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. field — for sport
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. cue — a signal
  6. band — a ring
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rush — hurry
  11. band — a music group
  12. cue — a hint
  13. ball — a dance
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — part of the head
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. ball — a great time
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. cue — for pool
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. face — to confront

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