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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. season — in sport
  3. swing — to play on
  4. season — of the year
  5. board — a committee
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kid — child
  9. face — to confront
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. face — part of the head
  13. spring — the season
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. board — to get on
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fall — the season
  22. swing — in golf
  23. face — to point toward
  24. kid — to tease

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