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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: spell · nail · content · face · cell · plane · ball · sharp

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. ball — a dance
  3. sharp — clever
  4. face — part of the head
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. cell — in biology
  7. spell — letters
  8. ball — a great time
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. content — happy
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. cell — a phone
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. face — to confront
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. face — to point toward
  24. content — the amount

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