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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. face — to point toward
  3. court — of law
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. court — for sport
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. mate — a partner
  8. spell — a short time
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. spell — magic
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mate — to breed
  13. chest — a box
  14. wound — an injury
  15. court — of a king
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. spell — letters
  18. mate — a friend
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wound — an injury
  21. foot — a measure
  22. face — to confront
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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