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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. face — to confront
  3. swing — to play on
  4. face — to point toward
  5. swing — music
  6. vault — a safe
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. face — part of the head
  10. foot — a measure
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. game — wild animals
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. chair — a leader
  18. game — a match
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. swing — in golf

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