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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. shower — to wash
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — music
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rule — government
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wake — a trail
  14. spell — letters
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mug — a face
  17. spell — magic
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. spell — a short time
  20. shower — rain
  21. rule — a law
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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