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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. face — to confront
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. deal — to handle
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bear — the animal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. hand — help
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. swing — music
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bass — the fish
  21. game — a match
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bass — low music
  24. face — to point toward

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