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

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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 — music
  2. chip — for betting
  3. fall — to drop
  4. club — a group
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cap — a hat
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. saw — the tool
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. swing — to play on
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cap — a lid
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. fall — the season
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. saw — the tool
  18. club — for dancing
  19. chip — to eat
  20. club — for golf
  21. bat — the animal
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cap — of ice
  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