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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 116 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. face — to point toward
  7. cell — a phone
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. face — to confront
  10. rest — a break
  11. court — of law
  12. craft — boats
  13. deal — to handle
  14. spell — a short time
  15. craft — a skill
  16. spell — magic
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — in golf
  19. face — part of the head
  20. spell — letters
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cell — in biology

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