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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 124 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. race — a contest
  3. firm — steady
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. cell — a phone
  8. firm — decided
  9. swing — to play on
  10. race — humankind
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. wind — moving air
  15. vault — a safe
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. firm — a company
  19. race — the arms race
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — of ice
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bat — the animal

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