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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. face — to confront
  3. swing — to play on
  4. face — part of the head
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. charge — a price
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. swing — music
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. spring — the season
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. charge — in control
  16. spring — of water
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. hand — in cards
  19. spring — a coil
  20. charge — electricity
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. face — to point toward

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