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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. swing — music
  3. stand — to bear
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — to play on
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. fine — high quality
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. court — of a king
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a document
  15. mark — a grade
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. stand — on your feet

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