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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: bowl · rest · ball · content · row · fine · face · stick

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. content — happy
  6. fine — high quality
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. content — the amount
  13. face — to point toward
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. ball — a great time
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. face — part of the head
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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