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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: bore · swing · rock · chair · court · shower · roll · face

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bore — to drill
  3. rock — music
  4. shower — to wash
  5. swing — music
  6. chair — a leader
  7. court — of law
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. shower — rain
  14. face — to point toward
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bore — to tire
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. rock — a stone
  20. roll — a list
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. court — for sport
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — to play on

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