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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. bat — the animal
  5. swing — to play on
  6. hand — help
  7. bound — obliged
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. hand — in cards
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bound — tied together
  19. swing — music
  20. face — part of the head
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bound — certain
  24. safe — a strongbox

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