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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: fall · pop · bound · season · cue · ball · face · band

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pop — music
  4. fall — to drop
  5. face — to confront
  6. cue — a signal
  7. face — part of the head
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pop — soda
  10. fall — the season
  11. ball — a dance
  12. season — in sport
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bound — certain
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bound — tied together
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pop — to visit
  20. cue — for pool
  21. season — of the year
  22. band — a ring
  23. bound — obliged
  24. band — a music group

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