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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  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. swing — to play on
  2. charge — in control
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. kid — child
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. march — music
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. dip — to sink
  9. ground — a position
  10. kid — to tease
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. swing — in golf
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. ground — the earth
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. charge — a price
  19. march — the month
  20. charge — electricity
  21. march — the month
  22. ground — crushed
  23. stand — to bear
  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