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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. mate — to breed
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fall — the season
  5. swing — in golf
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. fine — all right
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. fall — to drop
  14. face — to point toward
  15. court — of a king
  16. row — to paddle
  17. fall — to drop
  18. face — to confront
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. row — a line
  22. face — part of the head
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. swing — to play on

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