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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 · track · ball · shower · court · net · rash · fork

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. shower — rain
  3. rash — a series
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — to confront
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. net — after costs
  9. fork — in a road
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. court — of a king
  12. net — for catching
  13. shower — to wash
  14. court — for sport
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. net — in sport
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. court — of law
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. ball — a great time
  24. track — a song

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