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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — music
  3. staff — employees
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wind — moving air
  10. staff — a stick
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. swing — in golf
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. staff — employees
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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