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

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. file — a tool
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cell — in biology
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. file — a line of people
  8. lean — thin
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wake — a trail
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — music
  17. file — a document
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — a phone
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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