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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
468
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 · pass · face · cold · firm · racket · sharp · toast

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pass — a permit
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. face — to confront
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. face — part of the head
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. firm — a company
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. firm — steady
  15. face — to point toward
  16. ball — a dance
  17. toast — bread
  18. sharp — clever
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. cold — not warm
  24. firm — decided

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