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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 120 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. tube — the underground
  3. court — for sport
  4. ground — crushed
  5. face — to point toward
  6. swing — in golf
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. craft — boats
  10. tube — a container
  11. court — of law
  12. face — part of the head
  13. swing — music
  14. court — of a king
  15. craft — a skill
  16. swing — to play on
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mate — a friend
  19. face — to confront
  20. ground — a position
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. mate — to breed
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mate — a partner

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