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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 · kid · squash · ball · drill · pop · racket · date

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. ball — a great time
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. kid — child
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. drill — army training
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. ball — a dance
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pop — to visit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to point toward
  16. drill — the tool
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. face — to confront
  20. kid — to tease
  21. date — the fruit
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. ball — a round shape

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