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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. face — to confront
  4. plane — a tool
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cold — not warm
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. sharp — clever
  9. toast — bread
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. face — part of the head
  12. court — of a king
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. swing — music
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. rush — hurry
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. swing — to play on
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. toast — the most admired

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