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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. file — a document
  3. dip — to sink
  4. scale — in music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. rash — a series
  9. swing — to play on
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. scale — size or range
  17. file — a tool
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. rash — hasty
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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