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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 all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. face — part of the head
  6. swing — in golf
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. spell — a short time
  9. mug — to rob
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mug — a face
  13. spell — letters
  14. game — a match
  15. court — of a king
  16. spell — magic
  17. game — wild animals
  18. mug — a cup
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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