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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. charge — electricity
  3. firm — decided
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. wind — moving air
  6. swing — in golf
  7. charge — in control
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. swing — to play on
  10. ball — a great time
  11. rule — a law
  12. march — the month
  13. ball — a dance
  14. march — music
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. firm — steady
  18. charge — a price
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. firm — a company
  21. rule — government
  22. march — the month
  23. wind — moving air
  24. swing — music

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