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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: snap · face · fan · wound · court · swing · season · lie

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. face — part of the head
  4. court — of a king
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — in sport
  8. court — of law
  9. face — to confront
  10. court — for sport
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wound — an injury
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. lie — to recline
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. swing — in golf
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. swing — to play on
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wound — an injury

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