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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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. kid — child
  4. pop — music
  5. charge — a price
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. court — of law
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. court — for sport
  11. charge — electricity
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pop — soda
  15. face — part of the head
  16. charge — in control
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. swing — in golf
  21. face — to confront
  22. spell — magic
  23. face — to point toward
  24. court — of a king

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