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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. staff — a stick
  4. ball — a dance
  5. rush — hurry
  6. staff — employees
  7. ball — a great time
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mate — a partner
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. staff — employees
  16. mate — a friend
  17. face — to point toward
  18. ground — a position
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. swing — to play on
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. ground — crushed
  23. mate — to breed
  24. ground — the earth

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