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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lean · racket · face · ball · chip · spell · swing · mine

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. spell — letters
  3. swing — music
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. face — to point toward
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. face — part of the head
  8. swing — to play on
  9. ball — a great time
  10. spell — magic
  11. mine — for digging
  12. lean — to bend
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. lean — thin
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. spell — a short time
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — to eat
  23. swing — in golf
  24. ball — a dance

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