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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. board — to get on
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. board — a committee
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rash — hasty
  9. swing — music
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. cell — in biology
  13. face — to confront
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. snap — to click
  17. rash — a series
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. swing — in golf
  20. cell — a phone
  21. face — to point toward
  22. vault — a safe
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cell — in a prison

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