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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fan · bank · lie · scale · swing · court · squash · face

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. court — of law
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. swing — in golf
  7. squash — the sport
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bank — for money
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bank — for money
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. court — for sport
  17. face — to confront
  18. court — of a king
  19. scale — in music
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — music
  23. bank — of a river
  24. scale — size or range

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