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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. net — for catching
  3. swing — music
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. net — after costs
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. race — a contest
  10. court — of a king
  11. net — in sport
  12. swing — to play on
  13. face — to confront
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. court — of law
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. court — for sport
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — humankind
  21. vault — a safe
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. swing — in golf
  24. hide — animal skin

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