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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. lean — to bend
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cap — a hat
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. swing — music
  11. lean — thin
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — of ice
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. spring — a coil
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. ball — a great time
  18. spring — the season
  19. swing — to play on
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. spring — of water
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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