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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 120 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. tear — from crying
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bound — tied together
  7. swing — music
  8. kid — to tease
  9. club — a group
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. shower — rain
  13. net — for catching
  14. tear — to rip
  15. club — for golf
  16. shower — to wash
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bound — obliged
  19. net — in sport
  20. bound — certain
  21. tear — from crying
  22. club — for dancing
  23. net — after costs
  24. chair — to sit on

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