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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 116 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 · club · ball · squash · stand · pitcher · rule · fall

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  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. club — a group
  2. face — part of the head
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fall — to drop
  8. squash — the sport
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. squash — to crush
  12. ball — a dance
  13. club — for dancing
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rule — a law
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fall — the season
  20. club — for golf
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. rule — government
  23. stand — to bear
  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