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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 120 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. chest — a box
  3. net — for catching
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pitch — completely
  12. face — to point toward
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a skill
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cell — in biology
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. cell — a phone
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. swing — to play on
  24. squash — the sport

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