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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. suit — clothes
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. swing — in golf
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ball — a dance
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. game — wild animals
  10. suit — in cards
  11. face — to confront
  12. wound — an injury
  13. swing — to play on
  14. suit — to fit
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. face — to point toward
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. swing — music
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. ball — a great time
  23. game — a match
  24. wound — an injury

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