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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. plane — a tool
  3. face — to confront
  4. ball — a dance
  5. rule — government
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. ball — a great time
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rule — a law
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. swing — music
  12. face — to point toward
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. face — part of the head
  16. game — wild animals
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. swing — in golf
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. game — a match

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