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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bore — to tire
  4. field — farmland
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. bound — obliged
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. field — a subject
  14. rest — a break
  15. bound — tied together
  16. rest — what's left
  17. swing — to play on
  18. field — for sport
  19. swing — music
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bore — to drill
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bound — certain
  24. rest — what's left

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