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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. fine — all right
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. swing — music
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. fine — high quality
  8. face — part of the head
  9. club — for dancing
  10. face — to confront
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — a group
  15. swing — to play on
  16. kid — to tease
  17. face — to point toward
  18. kid — child
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. swing — in golf
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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