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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. face — part of the head
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. face — to confront
  5. swing — music
  6. court — of a king
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. kick — in football
  9. face — to point toward
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cell — a phone
  12. court — for sport
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. court — of law
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bulb — for light
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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