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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. roll — a cake
  4. face — part of the head
  5. swing — music
  6. file — a line of people
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. file — a document
  9. swing — to play on
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. face — to point toward
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stand — to bear
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. file — a tool
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. roll — a list
  19. game — wild animals
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. swing — in golf
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. face — to confront

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