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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. face — to confront
  3. bass — the fish
  4. court — of law
  5. swing — to play on
  6. court — for sport
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. face — part of the head
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. face — to point toward
  13. mate — a friend
  14. ground — a position
  15. swing — in golf
  16. ground — the earth
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. mate — to breed
  20. swing — music
  21. bass — low music
  22. court — of a king
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. ground — crushed

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