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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. track — to keep track
  5. swing — music
  6. face — to confront
  7. track — a path
  8. court — of a king
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. face — part of the head
  11. squash — to crush
  12. scale — in music
  13. court — for sport
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. track — a song
  17. scale — size or range
  18. court — of law
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — in golf

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