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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. pop — to visit
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. suit — to fit
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. swing — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. suit — clothes
  14. snap — to click
  15. foot — a measure
  16. lean — thin
  17. date — the fruit
  18. lean — to bend
  19. suit — in cards
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pop — music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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