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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. net — for catching
  4. swing — music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. roll — a list
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. net — after costs
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a cake
  12. chest — a box
  13. lie — to recline
  14. chest — of your body
  15. firm — decided
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. swing — in golf
  20. firm — a company
  21. net — in sport
  22. snap — to click
  23. swing — to play on
  24. court — of a king

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