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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — music
  3. cap — of ice
  4. mug — a face
  5. season — in sport
  6. face — to confront
  7. charge — electricity
  8. board — a committee
  9. spring — a coil
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. board — to get on
  12. charge — a price
  13. mug — to rob
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. spring — of water
  16. face — part of the head
  17. season — of the year
  18. spring — the season
  19. swing — to play on
  20. face — to point toward
  21. charge — in control
  22. mug — a cup
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — a lid

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