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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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Word bank
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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. mark — a trace
  3. swing — to play on
  4. chest — of your body
  5. ball — a great time
  6. mark — a grade
  7. chest — a box
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. ball — a dance
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. cell — in biology
  14. face — to confront
  15. swing — music
  16. snap — to click
  17. face — to point toward
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cell — a phone
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. swing — in golf
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. chest — of your body

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