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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: face · present · tube · hand · ruler · spell · ball · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. present — a gift
  4. tube — a container
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. present — there
  7. hand — help
  8. kid — child
  9. face — to point toward
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. spell — letters
  13. ball — a great time
  14. face — to confront
  15. tube — the underground
  16. spell — magic
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. hand — in cards
  19. ball — a dance
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. present — the time now
  22. spell — a short time
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. face — part of the head

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