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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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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. face — to confront
  3. swing — in golf
  4. cue — a hint
  5. face — part of the head
  6. scale — size or range
  7. file — a tool
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. file — a document
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cue — a signal
  13. swing — to play on
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. swing — music
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cap — a hat
  20. face — to point toward
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. file — a line of people
  24. scale — in music

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