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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. face — to confront
  3. swing — to play on
  4. rock — music
  5. face — part of the head
  6. swing — in golf
  7. season — in sport
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rock — a stone
  11. chip — for betting
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chip — to eat
  18. swing — music
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — high quality
  23. face — to point toward
  24. season — of the year

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