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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 116 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. root — of a word
  3. swing — music
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — part of the head
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. court — of a king
  10. root — the cause
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. spring — the season
  13. court — for sport
  14. fine — all right
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. court — of law
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. root — of a plant
  20. spring — of water
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fine — high quality
  24. kick — in football

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