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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. court — for sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. face — to confront
  7. swing — in golf
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. saw — the tool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. face — part of the head
  13. lean — thin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. court — of a king
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bear — the animal
  19. lean — to bend
  20. land — a country
  21. face — to point toward
  22. land — to come down
  23. court — of law
  24. land — ground

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