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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: face · cabinet · swing · court · game · staff · ground · last

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. last — finally
  6. court — of a king
  7. staff — a stick
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. last — to go on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. game — wild animals
  14. ground — a position
  15. staff — employees
  16. last — final
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. staff — employees
  20. swing — to play on
  21. face — to point toward
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  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