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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. root — the cause
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — in golf
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. swing — music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. court — for sport
  12. face — part of the head
  13. scale — in music
  14. court — of law
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. root — of a plant
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. root — of a word
  20. lie — to recline
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. court — of a king
  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