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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mug — a cup
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. swing — in golf
  8. charge — in control
  9. swing — to play on
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pitch — completely
  13. swing — music
  14. charge — electricity
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. chest — a box
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. ball — a dance
  20. charge — a price
  21. mug — a face
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mug — to rob

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