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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pop — to visit
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stand — to bear
  8. swing — to play on
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. swing — music
  11. chair — a leader
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pop — music
  14. land — to come down
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. pop — soda
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. can — a tin
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cabinet — ministers

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