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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 120 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 jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. chip — to eat
  3. lie — to recline
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. face — to confront
  6. swing — in golf
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rest — a break
  10. hand — help
  11. club — for golf
  12. rest — what's left
  13. club — for dancing
  14. row — to paddle
  15. face — part of the head
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chip — for betting
  19. swing — to play on
  20. face — to point toward
  21. row — a line
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. club — a group

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