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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. face — to point toward
  3. tube — the underground
  4. court — for sport
  5. swing — to play on
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bat — the animal
  10. tube — a container
  11. face — to confront
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. swing — music
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. court — of a king
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. court — of law
  24. face — part of the head

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