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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. lean — thin
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. chip — for betting
  11. swing — to play on
  12. can — a tin
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chair — a leader
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. swing — music
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. can — a tin
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bass — low music
  23. fall — the season
  24. chip — to eat

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