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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: cabinet · swing · trunk · pop · hand · face · ball · chair

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. ball — a great time
  4. face — to point toward
  5. ball — a dance
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. swing — to play on
  10. pop — music
  11. chair — a leader
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pop — soda
  15. swing — music
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. face — to confront
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. swing — in golf
  23. pop — to visit
  24. face — part of the head

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