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

Word bank: nail · face · cap · court · cold · ruler · fine · swing

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. fine — all right
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. face — to point toward
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. court — of a king
  9. fine — high quality
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. cap — of ice
  12. swing — to play on
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. court — for sport
  16. swing — in golf
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. court — of law
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cap — a hat
  22. face — to confront
  23. cap — a lid
  24. swing — music

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