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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. spell — magic
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. spell — a short time
  5. charge — electricity
  6. chest — a box
  7. board — to get on
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. mark — a trace
  11. spell — letters
  12. face — to point toward
  13. chest — of your body
  14. swing — music
  15. net — after costs
  16. board — a committee
  17. charge — a price
  18. face — part of the head
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. swing — to play on
  21. mark — a grade
  22. swing — in golf
  23. charge — in control
  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