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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. swing — in golf
  3. saw — the tool
  4. court — for sport
  5. spell — a short time
  6. swing — to play on
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. spell — magic
  13. court — of a king
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — a trace
  16. swing — music
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. spell — letters
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fan — a supporter

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